Rebirth
by owlhero
Summary: After a series of tragedies, Zack and Cody are alone and seperated in a cold and uncaring world. Will a man from another world change their fate? Crossover with Honor Harrington Book Series
1. Sudden changes

**This is a crossover story between the Suite Life series and the Honor Harrington book series. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Suite life series. That belongs to Disney (obviously). **

**I don't own the Honor Harrington Series. That belongs to the Mad Wizard David Weber and Baen Books.**

**However I do own the plot of the story. Thank goodness for that. **

**I like to thank Darkelements10 for betaing the first chapter. **

The New Year's snow was still freshly fallen on a quiet chilly Boston morning. The stillness was undisturbed except for a man wondering along the pathways of the Boston Common. The snow crunching underneath his footsteps. He was deep in thought, staring ahead at things that only he knew about. He stopped to sit down on a bench on a secluded path with no foot traffic. He was joined by a woman who was one of his closest confidantes.

"Good Morning, sir," she said.

"Is it a wonderful morning, Jennifer?" the man returned.

"Yes sir, I suppose it is even through it is a little cold. Why did you want to meet so early this morning?" Jennifer asked.

"I just want to talk," he replied.

Jennifer looked at her friend and former commanding officer and nodded, realizing he needed to get stuff off his chest. He had been under considerable pressure for the past year since they arrived. Of course, she was looking at him not as the person who she knew as the captain of her ship, but someone different with the responsibilities that he was not used to having.

The man got off the bench and proceeded to pace as he started the conversation, his voice full of obvious frustration.

"This is between you and me, Jenn, but sometimes I wonder why I even took this job. Between the pirates, politicians, the assistance with crime fighting and the avalanche of stress, it's amazing I am still able to breathe, let alone live."

_Of course there are times I wonder if he would give it all back to get out of this mess_?, a small part of her brain wondered but dare not ask.

Jenn replied cautiously, "I presume I can speak freely on this, sir?"

"Always. You were my XO for over two years. When we alone, you can call me Ken" Ken answered.

Commander Jennifer Buckner was still uncomfortable with his informality sometimes but she knew he trusted her without a doubt and the informality was a sign of that trust.

"All I can say sir is you are doing your job that you were requested of to the best of your abilities. You are not giving an inch back. That's all we can do in these sorts of situations and hopefully when we are done, the place we left is better than when we arrived."

Ken nods his head and she continues.

"That's what the Admiralty, the Crown and the Star Kingdom can ask us to achieve when they give us a mission and ask us to accomplish it with the resources we have at our disposal." Jenn was saying it like she was speaking to a classroom full of midshipman at the Saganami Island Naval Academy, not a brown haired, brown eyed senior grade captain of the Manicoran Royal Navy.

"Straight out of the textbook" Captain Senior Grade Ken Mitchell responded with a smile as she finished. "Did anyone tell you would make a very good teacher?"

Jenn noted, "Yeah you did."

They both served at the Academy as Tactical Instructors for a time and it was a shared passion for both of them. Their shared history was one of the reasons for their close but always professional relationship. They both joined the Navy to protect the defenseless and protect the kingdom from threats. Dealing with people who did not know their head from a hole in the ground was a necessary evil of the job sometimes and she prayed she never have to deal with it as much the person in front of her had to.

However, Jennifer knew venting what was not the first reason for her former commanding officer to consult with her on a cold winter morning. All that she knew was the fact that something was weighing heavy on his shoulders (in more ways than one).

"Captain, the venting was not the real reason for the conversion this morning was it?" She asked directly.

The sight of his eyebrows moving slightly meant that she had him nailed and Ken nodded.

"How do you know?" he queried.

"It falls under my job description to know anything that could disrupt a ship's operations."

"But I am not your Captain anymore…" Ken started but was interrupted by Jenn.

"But you are my friend so in that respects it does not matter.

"I feel like sometimes when I was command of our ship, you were my other half."

"Fortunately for me sir, that duty and honor has already been taken up by someone else, who happens to be furry with whiskers, and has six limbs."

_The furry other half probably was in the bushes chasing some chipmonk,_ Jenn thought.. She saw him smile the first genuine smile she was willing to bet in quite some time. However as much as she enjoyed it, she had to push forward.

"So what's on your mind?"

"I have been down on the planet assigned to diplomatic duty and I realized soon something is missing. The long story short is that I felt a hole in my life. I have decided to make a change in my life choices. The paperwork already been filled out and approved by the local authorities and I have told Admiral Chagurin about my decision and he's agreed to my decision with regrets as to my career."

"I still don't know what you are talking about?"

"I filed and have trained to become a foster parent."

Jenn's eyes widened in shock at the announcement. She never expected this. Here was a promising and rising Captain of the List practically guaranteed to become a flag officer postponing his career to become a foster parent. It was unheard of.

"Why"

"We have arrived here to this planet and helped raise the standard of living by decreasing crime, starvation and health problems. I ask myself why I can't make the impact larger even if it is with one child at a time."

"I understand sir and I hope you have thought this through for a while."

She hesitated slightly before continuing "Well good luck with it, I think you are going to need it."

_I know you will not let yourself fail at it, _she thought.

"Why thank you commander. I think I am going to need luck, a planet full of patience and humor to get through this. However I might need a babysitter occasionally and someone along with the rest of my political and military friends to bounce my frustrations off. Are you up for the job?" he asked with a devious smile. As he finished, a stream of cream and gray appeared crawling up onto his shoulder, balancing himself in his normal position.

She replied sorrowfully, "I am able to become part of your club that keeps your mental stability intact. However, being a babysitter is not under my description. Besides I am pretty sure the Admiralty would not look kindly upon a captain who uses his former XO as a babysitter. I am pretty sure you would be violating the Articles of War."

"Darn. Oh well I had to try. In the meantime, how about breakfast on me?"

Jenn agreed and the two officers (and Ken's furry shadow) walked their way out of the Boston Commons and into the rising sun.

Empty.

The eleven year old boy in the mirror looked back at him and emptiness ran rampant in his eyes and in his blood. It ravaged him like a disease that was eating him up inside and was slowly but surely dying from. The boy people called Zack could not run away from the abyss inside of him whether he was dreaming or awake.

The worst part about it was that the fact Zack knew without a doubt in his mind that it was his fault. It did not matter whether it was strangers or people who saw him everyday told him it was not, he just knew he was the epicenter of all the pain and suffering in his life and the people around him.

The tears in his eyes that threatened to run like a waterfall were stopped before they could start. Zack's soul was like a black hole in the center of his miserable existence. It would attract every single instance of happiness in his young life and take it away, never to be heard from again. He believed the gravitational pull of his depression could never be fixed again unless a miracle happened. The only way there was a chance of his life having any happiness was if his twin came back to him.

"Cody"

The name still caused him unbearable pain even after this long period of time. His voice would have been unrecognizable only a few years earlier and it crackled at its lack of use. Silence became Zack's friend. He was not like this once. He was happy, laughing and had the randomness of any normal child. But that was another lifetime ago before the confusion, grief, anger, guilt and the pain. Now he was a walking corpse, without any vigor to show he even deserved to draw breath.

"Zack come on we are leaving!"

Zack's spine stiffened as he heard Russell's rough tone resonate through the house. The man, Zack had been with for the last few months, was always punctual and strict to a fault. Occasionally Zack would rebel in small ways and disrupt Russell's harmony. But he knew there were limitations to how far he could go and consequences to those actions. Sometimes Zack wondered if Russell had any girlfriends in the past but with his attitude he doubted it. The thought sent the smallest trickle of humor through his mind, but was evaporated as quickly as it came.

"Alright I'm coming", Zack responded and ran to get his squishy jacket and ran downstairs and out the door.

The clear blue sky and bright sun seemed slightly faded. He could not feel any warmth from the outside world. Life had tossed him to the ground so many times, he wondered why he even got up and dusted himself off.

"So are you excited about school?" Russell asked with cheer as he started his Corolla and got underway.

_Oh yeah can't wait to rub elbows with nerds._ Zack's sarcasm oozing inside his mind. He ignored Russell's question and thought what lay ahead.

School. Zack's eyes rolled as he thought of his upcoming destination. Zack just found no motivation or interest towards school. Frankly he thought it was a waste of time, but something he just had to deal with it. Besides he was towards the bottom of social totem pole and practically invisible.

Zack's thoughts of the purgatory he knew as school were interrupted by the crash of a Dodge Ram slamming in the rear passenger side door where Zack was sitting next to. The truck blew through a red light and Zack's car almost folded up into a flattened U. The truck's momentum pushed the Corolla into the opposite directly into the path of a school bus loaded with kids on their way to a new term. The bus driver reacted as fast she could but even with the grinding and screeching of the brakes, the bus rammed missile like into the car's front. It ucordiened and collapsed like it was in a press.

All thought of school ended at that moment. The scene was a minefield with glass shards and metal spread out over the area interspersed with the crying and disorientation of children in shock. The smell of gas, oil and fear spread through the intersection. People were running for help and praying for hope. For some, the hope and life was extinguished. Lost in the chaos was the fate of a boy with an empty existence.

**So what you do think? Please Read and Review. Admiral Chagurin, Russell, Jenn, Ken and his furry shadow are my OCs. If you have any questions as the story goes on, just PM me and I will have no problem answering them.**


	2. An injuried soul

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot of this story. That means no Suite Life and no Honor Harrington. Lou, Trisha Ken, Alexander, and Cathy are my OCs.**

**I like to thank Darkelements10 for betaing the chapter.**

"Who are you thinking about?"

Ken brought himself back from the depths of his mind. "What do you mean?" he asked the cab driver. Lou was his name according to his ID in the cab.

"I could tell you were thinking something because you have that faraway look in your eyes," Lou answered.

_What is it with cab drivers and conversations?_ Ken thought as he began to describe the situation.

"I have an eleven year old boy who was in a dangerous car accident. The crash killed the driver of the car he was in along with 2 others. I received a panicky phone call asking me to go to the hospital and maybe become an emergency placement for the kid until they figure what to do."

Ken looked out the window as he finished. The street lights outside were a blur as the cab made its way towards Boston's Children's Hospital.

"You must have a huge heart because most people would not take in a child at a second's notice," Lou commented as he kept looking back in his rearview mirror into the backseat where Ken sat.

"I know but it's the least I can do under the circumstances," Ken realized Lou was constantly staring back here every second and recognized the reason for the constant diversion and grinned mentally.

_Well I guess you don't see one of those everyday._

"Thanks Lou for the conversation," Ken said as he paid the cabbie, which was still giving him a look of marvel at his companion and walked into the hospital.

Hospital workers were giving Ken weird looks toward him in regards to his companion on Ken's left shoulder. He was used to to it by now. The white walls drew memories from his past of being in places just like this one. Almost immediately Ken ran into a woman with green eyes, black hair and regular clothes standing out against the sea of white hospital coats.

"How is the boy?" He asked with a curiosity laced voice. Her voice matched the one from the phone call. Her name was Trisha Cunningham and she was Zack's social worker.

"Bad," the social worker replied. "Zack has a fractured skull, a broken leg, extremely bruised ribs, numerous cuts and bruises, a concussion and some internal injuries. He barely made to the hospital alive. He's in serious but stable condition." Her eyes were constantly scanning him and the surrounding hallways, clearly shaken by the situation.

"I need to see the boy," asks Ken with a little of impatience.

A nurse took him to ICU and Zack's room. Ken winced when he saw the damage done to the boy. Ken was a veteran of combat but never seen damage to a living soul this small.

"He's practically a big bandage from head to toe. You have his hair poking out of some of the wrappings. The wrappings are looking to be the only thing that's keeping the boy intact"

Ken did not realize he was speaking out loud until the nurse, her name was Cathy said "I know. It's a ghastly scene."

Ken replied "His appearance like a living mummy. He looks like he is on the front stoop of death's door."

Cathy countered with "He came in with internal bleeding but they stopped that in surgery. I have to admit I was not sure if he would survive this long He sure does have a strong will to survive."

Ken reacted to her comment "I hate hospitals. This is all due to personal experiences." He continued after sighing, "Do you know how good his chances of surviving are?"

"Not sure. It's been touch and go all day", the nurse answers him surprised to hear him ask such a question. Cathy's eyes were bullseyed on the creature on Ken's left shoulder watching to see if it moved in the slightest.

Ken nods to her in thanks and goes back to Trisha who was standing outside the hallway. "Do you want to see how Zack is," Ken inquires of her.

"No. I was in here while they had Zack in surgery fighting for his life. Once is good enough for me" she responded angrily.

Ken looked at her with eyes shadowed by the ghosts of past fallen friends, comrades and even the occasional lover and understood completely.

"Why don't we talk about his past then?" the Manticoran officer asked gently.

Trisha looked relieved to focus on something other than the damaged boy lying in a bed in the room behind her.

"Of course. Follow me and we will get started."

* * *

"As you can see Zack has been through more than his fair share of tough times." Trisha commented with a hint of sarcasm, a pained expression on her face.

The pair were sitting in the conference room located close to the ICU. It was fortunately deserted, which allowed them to get to the business at hand.

"No kidding" Ken expressed sorrowfully, shaking his head. "It's written like a story whose author wrote it simply just to torture the characters. There's even a couple instances of the twins running away for a short period of time and getting into trouble."

The file ran a laundry list of horrors for Zack. Ken admitted he wondered how Zack even survived with his sanity intact. First it was normal childhood until the age of five when he lost both of his parents to a fire while he was outside the house the entire time with his twin brother named Cody. The house burned for over 25 minutes before the fire department could stop it. The parents never made it out of the house alive. Ken listened as Trisha described the impact.

"The fire was just the first event. Imagine being five years old and being told your parents are dead and everything you have is gone. The only things that the kids got out of the house they were able to keep were clothes, some pictures, baby videos and whatever they had in their possession when the house went. The boys were inconsolable for weeks. They acted like robots. They shut themselves off from the outside world, only wanting to be with each other"

Trisha looked at the man in front of her and saw his reaction. He was clearly moved by the file in his hands; however it did not show all over his face.

Then she noticed the animal on his left shoulder.

"What is that?" Trisha asked pointing toward the six limbed creature moving towards Ken's lap.

"It's a Sphinxian treecat. The males like Alexander here are cream and gray while the females are dappled brown and white. I have known Alexander almost 7 years now. He adopted me while I was on vacation to Sphinx, one of the Star Kingdom's three planets." (AN: link to picture in profile.)

"Has Alexander always ridden on your shoulder?" Trisha asked with extreme interest.

"Pretty much. His claws sink into the padding of my shoulder and back to get a foothold and rides there. I have gotten used to my furry minion riding there. There's barely any difference now after such a long time. The hard part with him is getting padding in my clothes so he does not poke endless holes in them and destroy countless uniforms with his claws.

Ken ended the comment with a smile but then his face went totally serious. "However I would not mind getting back to the topic of Zack's file so we can this horrible business over with."

"Of course." Trisha took a deep breath and then started back up again.

"After the placement in the foster care, the twins were bounced around from foster home to foster home. It just seems like they never fit anywhere." Trisha continued, stress showing in her voice. "The longest they ever stayed in one place for the most part was six months before they caused so much trouble they had to be moved. Most of the problems were with the twins trying to protect other."

"Not uncommon you know" Ken interrupted before continuing, "if I were them, I would do anything to make sure my twin was protected and made sure he was safe from harm since he was the only one left in the world I truly cared about."

Trisha's voice shook with shame and pity as she spoke next. "Unfortunately fate was against them."

Ken's head shot up and his eyes widened, afraid of what might come next.

The social worker continued, not noticing the other person's reaction. "It happened when they were nine years old. The twins were walking home from school nearby. A car pulled up behind them and tried to grab Cody but Zack resisted with everything he had. He struggled to hang onto his twin. But they were too strong. Zack's hand was pried away from Cody's and Zack ended up on the ground.

By the time, he got up, it was too late. The car was speeding away with Cody's face screaming out the window for his brother, who was unable to catch the car to get him back."

"How did you find this out?" Ken's shaken voice asked.

"We were barely able to get the details out of Zack before he shut down completely. After that, he barely functioned at all. Even now I know things have happened since the kidnapping and maybe before then that he has not told us. I just know it. I can almost feel that he is enduring pain quietly and internally and refuses to tell anyone. Maybe his brother was hurt in some way too, I dont know. But who knows what Cody could have seen, felt or done since the kidnapping." By the time Trisha was done, waterfalls of tears were running down her cheeks.

Ken came and sat down next to her. "You can't blame yourself for what happened. It was horrible and tragic but it was not your fault."

Alexander lowered his body in what seemed like he forced to do so by some unknown force. He put his head on Trisha's lap and she subconscious stroked his fur pelt.

"I am not blaming myself for the kidnapping. I am blaming myself because we have looked for almost two years and we still can't find Cody. I feel like we have failed Zack. He may never trust anyone again because of this ordeal known as his life."

"Let me help you. I have got more resources in hand with the military and its investigative resources along with the FBI and private investigators. I also have access to more money than you do. I can help. However we have to focus on getting Zack on his feet again first. I guarantee you I will not stop until I find his brother and bring them together. So how about it?"

"Ok and thank you" Trisha replied. The relief shown in her voice and his face as through a mountain of guilt and regret was lifted off her shoulders for one brief second.

Silence was king as the two people tried to figure out the whirlwind they were now both involved in. However, Cathy the nurse came and interrupted their self- imposed silence.

"Zack looks like he could be upgraded to stable condition soon. It appears like he will make through."

Trisha and Ken looked at each other and hope reached into their eyes.

"Well that's one good sign in our favor. Maybe it's the first of many. Let's see if we change a boy's life, shall we?" Ken put his hand out in front of Trisha.

The green eyed woman looked at the offered limb and took it. "I just hope we are not too late for both of the twins."

The three adults and one treecat walked out of the room and toward a joint mission that they prayed would save more than just one life when they were finished.

**So who hates me now? Read and Review. Any questions or ideas you have just pm me and I will follow on them soon as I can.**


	3. Recovery and Pain

**Disclaimer: I don't own Suite Life and Honor Harrington series.**

**I like to thank Darkelements 10 for betaing this chapter.**

**The song lyrics are in bold while mental thoughts are italicized.**

Zack was moved into the recovery wing three days after Ken arrived. The only injuries left from the accident were the bruised ribs, the broken leg and the wrapping around Zack's head. He was expected to wake at any time. All in all, Ken was impressed with how fast Zack was progressing.

There was an extra reason why he was improving so quickly.

"I am amazed how this manticorian medical technology decreases healing time." Nurse Cathy as she came in to check on Zack.

The nurse was temporarily transferred to Recovery to keep an eye on Zack at Ken's request. He felt extremely comfortable with the woman being in charge of watching over the boy. Which relieved his nerves quite a bit he realized.

"Now now we are not miracle workers though I suppose it does look that way doesn't it?" replied Ken with a questioning look.

"Absolutely," Cathy said with exuberance. "Three days and every last scratch and bruise are healed completely. I wonder what it does on bones?"

"Unfortunately the quick heal therapy does not work as fast on bones as it does on tissue injuries. Still it cuts the healing maybe in half for bones. It is still going to take about a week for the ribs to heal and 2 to 3 weeks for his broken leg to heal. Zack is one lucky man. The broken fibula did not move very far from the original spot, so it should make healing time easier. Unfortunately he is still going to hate recovering from it."

Ken did not mean to temper her exhilaration but he had to make people realize the advances in medicine the Star Kingdom of Manticore offers does not cure all ails even he wished it did. Ken looked over at Alexander who was curled up in chair next to Zack's bed watching it all contently. How he envied the treecat sometimes. He listened to Cathy as she continued on.

"I heard from the Rehabilitation wing a story of a soldier who lost an arm in combat who got a second chance at normal thanks to your medical technology."

Trisha Cunningham walked in during the conversation and sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the bed from Alexander at Zack's head. She listened with intrigue as the two sides exchange info.

Ken interrupted Cathy's energetic sermon. "I presume you are talking about regeneration therapy. It uses genetic manipulation to force the body to repair itself and this allows regrowth of lost limbs and an increased chance of survival from near fatal wounds."

Ken was interrupted by Alexander's movement from the chair onto Zack's bed. The flash of movement silenced both of them while Trisha moved closer towards the bed. Her face is almost opposite Zack's eyes.

Zack felt weird as he slowly opened his eyes. He had a headache, was stiff and sore and a throbbing pain originating from somewhere in his leg.

He had no idea where he was. His brain acted like he was on slow motion instant replay he saw when he watched basketball. The only thing he did know was the Corolla inside roof was not white, so the question seeped into conscious thought.

_Where am I?_

His dark green eyes slowly came into focus, blinking the fogginess from his view. His sight immediately zeroed on a pair of lighter green eyes looking at him. The rest of his vision cleared and he was looking a woman with black hair who he recognized instantly.

"Trisha"

"Hello Zack. Welcome to the land of the conscious. How are you feeling?"

"Honestly. Like I was in a car accident" Zack's voice was full of sarcasm and the tiniest smile appeared on his face for an instant.

"You scared us there for a while." A nurse appeared in his eyesight. "My name is Cathy. I will be one of the nurses on call to watch you"

Zack groaned. He hated being babied but considering the state he was in, he relented easily. He saw Cathy look past him but was too tired to move.

Zack realized as he fading away into sleep and struggled to stay awake but the Sandman had different plans for him.

"It's ok Zack. You are safe here. We'll talk more when you wake up again."

Zack heard Trisha's voice like a whisper in a dream. He felt a presence on him as he was drifting away into the blackness of his mind. But before he could further the thought, he was already asleep.

Ken watched Zack fall asleep and sighed.

"At least we know we are out of the woods with him. Now comes the hard part. Raising him."

Trisha nodded and both of them watched as Alexander lay near Zack and put his head on Zack's stomach.

Hours whizzed past Ken by as he waited for Zack to wake up and wondered how his world would change with a child in it.

"Do you have any idea about how he will react to me?" Ken asked Trisha while they watching Zack shift in the bed before settling down.

"If you are wondering what to do, you can only do your best. Granted it will be hard to start with Zack adjusting to you and his new environment."

"Oh I have no doubt it will be difficult. I would expect nothing less. But I just pray I don't screw him up more than he already is."

Trisha looked at the man who could be Zack's foster parent and hoped he would be a good fit. She was not surprised he was having doubts about his abilities as a parent. He would not be the first or the last. His file showed he was dependable, trustworthy and willing to go to the hilt for anyone and cared about people. She prayed he would be the one to put Zack back on a path to a regular life but under the current circumstances, she was not sure.

"Giving Zack a safe and stable environment, where he feels comfortable around you, that's a good start. After that, it's a matter of showing he can trust you. If he feels he is able to let his guard down around without getting hurt, he will start to go back to normal maybe. Of course having his brother around him would move mountains with him in that area."

Ken groaned as she said this. He hoped he would able help Zack but having his twin brother gone from his life could an insurmountable obstacle in the situation. He begged to whatever higher power there was out there that Cody would be found safe and sound.

Somewhere far from where a man was watching over a child, a human being was stirring from his sleep. The boy was waking up in almost total darkness, his hair covering his eyes. The eyes glowed like lighthouses in the darkness.

"I wonder where they are at now?"

The boy was asking the universe about the two people who lorded over him.

"They are not people. They are soulless and without love."

The men, if they dared to deserve the distinction in the boy's eyes, were away from the shack where they lived at in Altoona, Pennsylvania. They were part time workers in the failing industrial sector of the area. The pair had fallen on hard economic times and had more frustrating days than not.

The soulless ones end up taking out their frustration on the boy. He's just a moving target in their world. A release for them to get rid of pented up anger at the world for the injustices they see that caused them to lose at everything.

"Why me? Why did I do deserve the pain they have put in through? I have done everything they have told me to do. I was a good boy. I did not break anything. I have kept the house clean and go to school like they told me too. I get Bs and Cs and yet they still hurt me. Why?"

The boy's eyes filled with endless tears that ran down his cheeks as he endured the avalanche of agony that was his existence since he came into these men's lives over 30 months earlier. He would describe it as nothing more than mere hell.

The boy was grimacing as he moved around in the pitch black darkness that was only broken by a small light in the hallway by his room. The tears ran like parts of his soul were leaking out of his eyes. Day by day, the boy lost in the unjust world of which he experienced.

_Zack_

The name seemed hallow to the cosmos. A memory from a past life, however, it still held a precious remembrance to the boy. It was the last lifeline he had before he gave up on his existence.

"I don't know you. I don't know my name anymore. Who is the boy looking at me in the mirror?" The boy asks the offending mirror as he looked in it with a mutilated view of life. Rage surged through the boy, who wanted to shatter the mirror for showing him what a repulsive little worm he was.

"I don't think I do that after what happened last time" The boy still had the bruises on his chest and stomach from the last beating he received. After a while, he learned to stay out of their way, if possible.

He tried to survive and be good at school by staying out of trouble or else the misery would commence the second he got home. Whether it was the spoon hitting him or yelling in his face or being thrown against the wall, they all degraded the boy until he withered and the shield weaken around his spirit. His symbol and identity faded almost into nothingness. Only the memory of a boy named Zack kept him going at all.

The boy went to his room, which was a large broom closet, and laid down on the almost paper thin mattress. He pulled out some almost faded pictures from his pocket. They were his recall to happier times in his life. They were the only sunshine in his life.

One of the pictures consisted of his brother and he dressed Batman and Robin for Halloween. His arm around the shoulders of his best friend and their buckets overfilling with sugary bless, smiles as bright as the sun. They were 4 years old at the time. Before the incubus began and their innocence was ripped from their lives.

His eyes focused on another picture. This one had the same two boys in the picture with almost natural smiles in a pool on a hot summer day when they were 8. The two boys in the picture with blond hair and identical bottle green eyes were in their own world. They were each other's heaven and earth. Without one, the other would be incomplete and lost.

"I love you Zack and I miss you so much."

The boy realized he was crying again after water and mucus were running the ruined remains of a T-shirt he was wearing to bed. The boy used his dirty shirt to wipe his tears and snot away and continued his journey of memories.

The final picture had the same two boys dressed in their best on the first day of school. Their smiles and eyes held the promise of a better tomorrow which…

"Boy!"

The boy jumped out of his skin, immediately terrified and looking around trying to crawl into the smallest hole he could find. The hole to crawl into was never deep enough to feel safe in.

The floor creaked as two pairs of shoes tortured the hallway with their anger. The pale lad in the room turned and waited to face his doom.

The two death walkers glided into the room like evil spirits and the worthless piece of life in front of them wilted in front of their eyes.

"What have you been doing all day, knitting? This place looks like someone died in it" The apparition's tone lessened the boy until he was a small imp.

"I did what you told me. Please don't hurt me" The imp squeaked out with his terror filling the room.

"Hurt you?" The second man said with sadistic humor. The child only differentiated them by the color of the eyes. "If you had done right the first time, you not have to pay the consequences."

The two demons enclosed upon him like in a vice grip sealing off whatever hope the boy had access. The youngster backed off unconsciously as he had always had done, knowing in despair it was hopeless.

The two specters noticed three objects on the floor next to the waste of life and picked them up.

"What are these?" They asked with an evil smile.

The runt's heart stopped when he realized what they were. He lunged to grab them from the monster's hand, but was shoved to the ground, his head bouncing off the wood floor. Before he could move he was grabbed from behind and his limbs pinned and unable to move.

"Well as punishment for your actions, we are going to burn these pictures" The second man whispered into the struggling boy's ear as his arms were trapped above his head and the man had a python grip on his legs, making him totally helpless. The man's breathe smelled of alcohol and drugs.

"No Please!" The boy begged but they did not lessen.

The child watched as his memories started to burn before his eyes with the help of a lighter. The melting ashes from the pictures landed on his chest and stomach, burning him causing even more pain than any punch to the gut. The burning pictures were the last vestiges of his old life. The last physical memories of his brother triggered even more pain than he ever thought possible. The little flame bought back memories of his parents' death.

"Please stop! Please I need those pictures. Please…!" The agony dripping from his voice but was ignored by the soulless specters causing him pain.

By the time, the pictures burnt up, the boy known as Cody stopped struggling in the man's grasp. The man tossed him to the floor, repulsed by the boy's sniffling and begging. Cody's dead eyes were all that remained of him, drowned by eternal tears. The only remaining sunshine in his life was now a pile of cinders on his body and on the floor. The only sound punctuating the room was of a sobbing boy with half a life wondering what hell he deserved to be in while his soul breaks from physical and psychological wounds. All that was left was a boy waiting for the darkness to envelop him and take him away to a higher and better place.

* * *

**The end for now…**

**I apologize to anyone who knows anyone in Altoona, PA. I did not mean to offend anyone. I just needed a town to set that section of the chapter. **

**The chapter was influenced by Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield.**

**Anyway, Please Read and Review. I love to hear your thoughts. If you any questions about the story or Honor Harrington Universe, I will answer them. Thank you.**


	4. Beginnings of the Unknown

Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life series (Disney does) or the Honor Harrington series (Baen and David Weber own that).

I like to thank darkelements10 for betaing this chapter.

Zack's mind rose from the fog and darkness of sleep and opened his eyes. He quickly remembered he was in a hospital after the car accident. His eyes went into focus and suddenly he spied another set of unfamiliar green eyes looking directly into him. But these eyes were surrounded by fur…

"Ahhh!"

Pandemonium shattered the quietness of the room as a crash was heard in addition to Zack's scream. Panicked footsteps found their way into the room to see a brown haired man on the floor stunned, a boy tangled up in blankets and a six limbed treecat with flattened ears at the end of the bed.

"Well I walk away for five minutes and the world blows up." Trisha Cunningham comments with a smile. She walked over Zack's bed to calm him down.

"Zack calm down. It's alright." Trisha's compassionate voice was soothed to him while she touched his arm. The boy turned his head toward his social worker and calmed down.

"What was that?" Zack's voice was full of nervousness as he pointed a slightly trembling finger towards Alexander, who still lay crouched on the bed.

"Wow, what a wakeup call. His name is Alexander and he is a Sphinxian treecat." Zack's head whirled around at the sound of the man's voice. The man was getting off the ground and shaking his head and found toward the creature at the end of his bed, next to his casted up leg.

Zack subdued a flinch as he almost touched the injured limb.

"Well Zack, I am pleased to meet you. My name is Ken Philip Mitchell, Captain in Her Majesty's Manticoran Royal Navy. I am going to be your foster father until further notice. "

Zack saw the man crack a smile and put out his hand. The child ignored it for a time and the man frowned and withdrew the hand.

"Anyway, Alexander was laying his head down on your stomach as he has done for the past two days. I guessed he figured you would not be scared by him. He was wrong, obviously." As Ken said this, the treecat made his way slowly up the bed again.

Zack was hesitant to make any move toward the animal. The creature slowly slouched his way up the bed. It stopped at Zack's waist and stared at the nervous child. Zack stared at the treecat's eyes, practically lost in them. He saw no threat in them at all, just a sense of warmth, intelligence, and compassion. Time practically stopped as Zack's hand made its ways incrementally towards the head of the cream and gray beast. Alexander leisured at Zack's touch and slowly made his way to Zack chest where he laid down and let the boy continue to stroke his fur with an audible purr.

"Well I see one introduction is not needed." Ken said with a smile lurking on his face. He flickered his eyes over to Trisha, noticeably relaxed.

"How is my patient?" Nurse Cathy gentle tone reached Zack's ears.

"OK, just a little sore besides the leg" said Zack with a shrug of his shoulders while eyes focused on Ken and his hands caressed Alexander pelt.

"Why don't we get your physical exam done now?" Cathy asked with an air of patience.

Zack's fingers stopped moving, prompting Alexander's head to turn around and look at Zack questioningly.

Zack's eyes darted to Trisha, who smiled and said "Don't worry about it. You'll be out of there before you know it."

A corner of Zack's mouth moved as he uncovered himself and was taken to get checked out. Alexander stayed with him against the grumblings of the medical personal.

"Hopefully we will get told everything about his injuries and the time it would take to heal them." Trisha said.

"He will told all the necessary information. They happen to be very through." Ken reminded her.

"At least I can use the treecat as the opening wave of an invasion to assault, I mean, to assist in helping change his sadness into something positive." commented Ken.

"I am surprised he reacted in such an encouraging way to the treecat." Trisha reacted to Ken's comment with an amazed look.

"I'm not. Alexander has been good with kids. It must be his charming personality" Ken replied, which Trisha shaked her head in resignation.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" The social worker asked the captain, who nodded to the request.

Do you have a girlfriend? I mean you look like a Greek Adonis in terms of male beauty. I say you do not have a problem getting one?

Ken's eyes darkened slightly at this and sighed before he answered.

"Yes, I have a girlfriend. We have been dating for over 2 years now. I love her very much. Unfortunately she unable to come to Pegasus, which the name we gave to this planet, due to personal obligations. However, when she does, you can meet and talk to her."

"I intend to" Trisha answered with a shadow of sadness.

Zack was followed into the room a short time by a doctor and settled back onto the bed while the doctor introduced himself.

"My name is Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Mauricio Neukirch. I am the head of Zack's medical team. I am assisting the medical establishment in the process of streamlining Manticoran medical technology in local areas and their use and access to everyone. However we are to talk about Zack's situation. I have some good news."

Trisha introduced herself than pointed out Ken to Neukirch, who shook his hand.

"I presume the arboreal is yours, sir" asked the doctor.

"Yes the furry troublemaker lying on Zack's lap is mine. By the way, your name sounds familiar. Do you happen to serve with a Commander Honor Harrington a few years back by chance?" Ken asked with extreme curiosity.

"Why yes I did, how do you know?" Nuekirch countered.

"She's an old friend of mine and I thought your name came up once by accident that's all and I wanted to be sure. So what's the good news, Doc?

"It turns out Zack's recovery is moving faster than expected. He should be able to leave the hospital by tomorrow on crutches. The bone is almost practically healed, so he will have to stay the crunches for about a week. After that if everything goes well, he will be good to go."

"Well that's surprising but glorious at same time. I thought it would take him longer to heal. I guess youth has its privileges" Ken said with a smile. He turned his head toward Zack who was looking at the group and asked what he thought about it.

"It's terrific. I can't wait to get out of these stupid hospital clothes and out of this bed and able to walk again. I'm bored by being here." The boy answered with a resigned expression knowing he would annoyed by it all.

"I don't blame you. I hated being not able to run around and cause problems when I was your age. It drove me crazy. Oh well, it'll just be a week before you gain freedom, Zack."

"Humph" Zack responded. _Maybe this Ken guy is not so bad after all_. _No_, part of his mind savagely cut off the thought, _you can't trust him._

The hospital released Zack the next day, after the taught to use the crutches. Stubbornly Zack refused anybody's help. Ken, Trisha, Zack (and Alexander) made their way back to Ken's hotel. When Zack stepped out of the car, Zack's jaw dropped to the floor and his eyes were the size of hot air balloons.

"You you live at the Tipton Hotel!" Zack stammered out while trying on to his crutches.

"Yes I do. I have been here for almost 6 months. I work for the Manticoran embassy in NYC as part of the diplomatic core. I live in Boston to get away from the ragging headaches known as negotiations. Besides with our intraplanetary cutters, pinnaces and other small craft to provide transportation, I'm less than an hour away from the Big Apple."

Zack was not paying much to Ken's words. He was distracted by the colossal size of the building, but the last sentence caught his interest. He looked at Ken with a shocked and questioning look on his face, who saw the look and chuckled.

"Our craft can travel several hundred miles per hour at top speed. So I am just a hop, skip and a jump away from them if needed. Shall we go inside?"

After saying hello to Norman the doorman, the group went inside into a bustling lobby with elevators on his right and a wall full of candy with a counter in front of the area in the back right corner of the room.

Zack listened as Ken further described what he called the lobby of the iconic hotel.

"In the middle of the lobby as you can see are two couches with a coffee and to your left is the front desk with the hotel manager behind it. Of course you have to go down these walkways in the center to get to them and avoid the oddly placed table with the vase in the middle. I am surprised no one has broken the vase yet."

Zack slightly struggled with the crutches as the group makes it to ken's suite, number 2430. Zack opens the door and grasps at the size of the suite.

"How could afford something this size?" Trisha rose from Zack's right as she looked around with dazzled eyes.

"Well the Foreign Office pays for the daily rate, while I pay for any room service any other extras that come up. I guess the Star Kingdom wants personnel to live comfortably." Ken replied with raised eyebrows that almost reached his hair. "I requested an upgrade while Zack was in the hospital because I was not sure if the room I originally had would be too small for us to live in, but I am shocked they upgraded me to this much."

"Alexander looks like he's made himself at home" said Trisha with a smile as the treecat flew from Ken's shoulder where he was carried and dashed to the huge sofa bed in the suite and laid down with his head on one of the pillows.

Zach mood lifted slightly at the action of the creature and looked around his new home. The sofa bed was front of a hanging flat screen TV and a coffee table. There were sectionals and armchairs paired with end tables scattered in living room portion of the suite.

"I actually like having huge windows on either side of the TV. It puts more light into the room, but at least there are curtains in front of them" commented Ken.

The captain turned around and saw the curved cherry desk on top of a raised section of floor.

"Its looks beautiful, almost similar to the American President's Resolute Desk and there's a matching four shelved cherry bookcase behind it."

The surface of the desk had a keypad, a razor thin wireless keyboard laying on it along with a razor thin computer screen built into the desk. The screen had the ability to rise into an up position when operated. Other accessories included the expensive spring ink pens, pencils and a book copy of the Manticoran constitution. Otherwise it was a very clean efficient desk.

Zack circled around from the couches and his eyes widened.

"The kitchen is titanic. I am never leaving it" The kitchen was separated from the desk by a small wall

"I would have to agree" Ken agreed. "Between the metallic refrigerator, the wooden cabinets and the marble countertops, the kitchen looks pleasant. Once you add in the island in the middle and the hard wood kitchen floors, its well designed. The thick carpet sells it for me. I also like there's a window next to the kitchen."

"Don't forget the pantry," Zack said quietly as he continued to open doors in the suite.

"Just like a boy, always thinking with his stomach, Trisha commented. "The table for 6 to 8 in between the sofa bed and the kitchen fits well along with the ferns in the corners and the ivy hanging down above the island."

Zack hopped past the adults continuing his investigation of the suite. Several feet away from the kitchen window which opened to what he assumed was the master bedroom with a king sized bed and a full scale bathroom. Along the far wall and across from the door into the suite were two doors. One was an empty room which could double as storage or a second bedroom.

The last unseen door was in between a wooden chest and a second book case on its left side closer toward the TV. Zack opened it and went it.

"Wow, a balcony window" Zack said out loud as he opened the doors which connected to a balcony located in the back of the room. There was an emergency fire escape connected to it allowing an escape down to the alleyway below. Empty blue walls signified a new beginning toward him.

Zack noticed the two queen sized beds and their matching dressers.

"Why would anyone put an extra bed in here with me?

"It's for your twin."

Zack whirled around (as fast as one could on crutches) and stared at Ken, who leaning on the doorframe. Trisha was right behind him. Zack clutched his fists defensively at his sides. Ken did not move a muscle, ignoring Zack's subtle movements.

"You told him about Cody?" Zack asked Trisha pointedly.

"Of course, I had too. You know that. Your situation might deter others from bringing you in. "

"That did not stop me. Anyways I have every intention of expanding the search in finding your brother as I told your social worker. I know this because I have more resources at my disposal than before due to my naval connections. As a matter of fact, I have already assembled a unit that has already started a search for your brother. Hopefully, we will yield positive results soon. Lastly we need to go shopping tomorrow because starting Monday morning, you are going to school."

Zack groaned loudly when Ken said school. For some reason, he just could not get his head to stay focused in the act of listening to teachers and doing homework. It was so hard to concentrate. Trisha left soon after saying she would come back to check on them soon and wished them good luck.

Both man and child were quiet as things were unpacked. Zack hated being helped especially with his private stuff but his limitations gave him no choice. Efforts to start talking were wasted as Zack contemplated his thoughts of school as clothes and underwear were put in their rightful place. As Zack slept in his bed that night he wondered what life would bring next, a new hope or a new painful addition to a repulsive life?

Sorry for the boring section about the suite, I was wanted to give you an idea on how I thought it could be. Things will pick up with the next chapter. Anyway read and review please. Any questions or comments, you can PM me.


	5. Visitors of all sorts

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life or the Honor Harrington Series.**

**Tom, Ken, and Alexander are my OCs **

**John Adams Elementary in Boston is my invention as far as I know.**

**I like to thank Darkelements10 for betaing the chapter. **

"Hey Zack"

Zack turned his head to the voice that caught his attention. He saw three people heading down the hallway from his last class.

"Oh…. hi Max, Tape, Tom." Zack's downtrodden voice reached them and the trio looked at each other in worry.

Ever since they met the blond haired boy, they enjoyed a sort of rapport from not being at the top of the school social latter. The threesome was worried about Zack's partial introverted behavior since they first met him. He would barely talk to them about school, sports, teachers and other traditional topics but he would not talk about himself at all no matter the opportunity.

"Guys I'm fine. Let's go before something happens to us" Zack's tone told them to let it go and walked away.

"I wonder what could be bothering him." Christopher "Tapeworm" Michaels asked as Zack moved with a faraway look down the hallway.

"I don't know Tape and its starting to worry me." Maxine "Max" Montgomery answered her best friend and next door neighbor's question. The athletic brown haired girl's eyes were locked onto Zack as he made his way through the horde of students in John Adams Elementary School. Soon he disappeared into the maze of bodies.

"What do you mean?" questioned Tom Connelly. The auburn haired boy with gray eyes registered at Adams during the fall term and connected to the pair with a devotion to hard work and his affable nature. The three became inseparable since. The group made their way towards their destination.

"It's like he's almost not there. We try to get him to talk about things outside school and he won't budge. It's so frustrating. It's like he hiding something. Has there been any mention of anything outside of school? " Max's strained voice ricocheted off the slowly emptying hallways.

Both boys shook their heads.

Tom added "Give him some time. Maybe he's finding himself in a new school. I can tell it was not easy for me at first and he had an injury to deal with. At least he's not on crutches anymore. Good thing too. Those things make a bull's eye for any low level creeps."

Tapeworm joined in. "Besides I think he will eventually open up to us. It's just a matter of time." Tape looked at his watch. "Hey guys if we are going to make it for lunch, we better hurry up. Today is hotdogs."

His companions smirked and shook their heads and started to jog towards the cafeteria. Twenty hotdogs in two minutes ran through both their minds at the same time. The trio made their way towards Tapeworm's favorite food as thoughts of a friend slipped from their minds.

"I'm going to watch some TV." Zack said as he relaxed after a rough day at school.

"Do you finish your homework?" Zack groaned as he heard Ken ask the one question he asks every day some time after school.

_The guy was such a stickler for schoolwork. Could he just leave me alone about it? _Zack mind thought with increasing exasperation.

Luckily for Zack, he stayed after school and agonized through his homework together with Tom, Tape and Max. It took him two hours in which Ken called him three times to see where he was but he got it done. His nerves frayed all the more afterward and his friends even more so, at his difficulty of concentrating. For Zack, it was like pulling teeth without the gums being numbed and it was made worse by having difficulty talking to them at all.

"Yes, I finished it with friends at school." Zack replied out loud with a slight hesitation in his voice.

"Friends, eh? Will I ever meet them?" Ken asked pryingly as he walked out of the master bedroom.

Zack quickly backed up a couple of steps and ignored him as he turned the TV on and Ken thought about the question again then let drop for another time and walked into the master bedroom to relax.

The mindless animated laughter echoed in Zack's mind as he faded away from conscious thought. The cartoon reminded him of his brother so he tried to avoid them at all costs. But there was nothing else on so he was forced to watch them, his spirit dampening at the memories of the past. He was falling deep into the abyss inside but his voyage was stopped by a knock on the door.

Joanna waited after she knocked on the door of Suite 2530.

"I wonder what has changed since I last seen him." Her hand went through her wavy black hair as she waited for a response to the knock. The door opened to a small blond haired boy whose height went up to her waist. _Is this the boy Ken mentioned? _Joanna thought quickly before opening her mouth. "Is Ken home?"

"Who's asking?" the boy asked with a guarded tone.

"Joanna. I am an extremely close friend of his from the Star Kingdom, who has not seen him in over a year."

Zack looked at the unknown black haired, cinnamon shaded skin and brown eyed woman with uncertainty. However before he could say anything else, Ken's voice boomed into the hallway.

"Who's at the door, Zack?"

"Some woman named Joanna from the Star Kingdom.

Ken moved elflike from the suite. Before he knew it, Zack almost had to dive from the doorway into the hallway to avoid the elemental blur that was Captain Ken Mitchell.

Joanna had a look of fear intermixed with happiness as Ken dashed into her arms. The two embraced and shared a passionate kiss while Ken practically dipped Joanna almost parallel to the ground. Their opposite skin hues blending together.

Zack recovered his composure and put his head back on his shoulders. His eyes widened as he saw the two adults kissing in front of him in an obvious display of rapture. It's like Ken was totally absorbed in the presence of Joanna and not caring about Zack. The two adults finally separated from the entanglement of limbs and came up into full awareness.

They had a look of stunned ecstasy.

"I see you missed me?" asked Joanna with obvious pleasure.

"More than I could put into words." Ken responded with a smile that could light up the midnight sky.

"Good, because you almost killed the boy on your way to reclaim me." Joanna's tone was slowly gaining a more serious tone.

"I could never reclaim you. Besides your cavalcade would not let me. Besides anything close to that, your mother would kill me and bring me back only to off me again." Ken answered with a serious tone but was countered by the smirk on his face.

Zack's sight widened from his tunnel vision and saw the several people behind the lovebirds in the hallway with staid looks on their faces in addition to frowns.

Joanna smacked Ken lightly on the arm and turned him around.

"As I said before, in your haste to get to me, you almost decapitated the boy."

"Oh…sorry Zack." Ken apologized with full sincerity. "You see this is my girlfriend Joanna who I have not seen physically in over a year due to both of our commitments."

Zack nodded harshly. Mentally he said _Duh, Captain Obvious. You both almost died from lack of oxygen from making out in the hallway. A blind guy could tell you were in love._

"Now if you don't mind I would like to see the suite the government decided to give you" Joanna walked into the suite and Ken, Zack and two of Joanna's cavalcade followed them into the suite. Zack saw them out them out of the corner of eye and made sure to far away enough to feel comfortable but not making it too obvious.

"Very nice. I have to compliment the decorator when I meet him. It's very homey. You combined comfort and style while at the same time allowing for the possibility of meetings with VIPs." Joanna commented as she walked around the suite.

"I am trying to limit that with current events going on and trying to keep my focus on Zack and other situations." Ken countered her.

"I know, I know. I was just thinking of all possibilities."

Zack ignored the banter between the two lovers. His mind drifted over the new possibilities now that Joanna was here as he walked into his room and closed the door.

_Hopefully she will be nice and someone I can connect with_, his logical side of his brain said.

_No! That's a bad idea. You can only trust yourself. _This part of his brain he had trying to fight off for a long time ran over the previous thought.

"Why not? Do you expect me to be alone forever? Are you trying to protect myself from more damage?" His kinder side fought back against this resilient sentinel that was trying to protect his soul. His voice was full of frustration as he spoke out loud.

_You have been hurt by people you thought who was supposed to protect you. Both of us know this. Maybe there are things that you have forgotten about. You don't want to endure more pain then you already have. This will be for the best. Trust me. _His keeper of his supposed sanity called back to him.

Zack's heart and soul fought themselves trying to figure which one was right and the war waged on inside the boy as time went on.

**Please read and review. This is a shorter chapter than I planned, but as a result, the next chapter should be faster in getting up. I sort of have a brain cramp with this one. But I like how it turned out, especially with Zack's internal conflict. Thanks for reading. If you have any comments of questions, just PM me.**


	6. Whirlwind of love, dreams and anger

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life or the Honor Harrington Series but I do own Ken, Ron, Alexander and Trisha since they are my OCs.**

**I would like to thank DarkElements10 for betaing the chapter.**

* * *

Joanna and Ken were laying down on the sofa bed in the main room in the suite with Ken's arms around her.

"You know, you came at a perfect time. Zack has been disconnected from me ever since he got here," Ken said with worry.

"You can't expect him to warm up to you right away especially if half of what you told me is true," Joanna replied.

"No, it's worse."

Joanna's head darted around and looked at Ken with shock. "What do you mean?"

"I've checked with the local authorities of every place where the twins have lived in the foster care system and it's not good. The twins were troublemakers wherever they went. Their file gave a suspicion of the twins running away at least once and everything points to it being true. The boys did not say anything about what happened but being on the streets as a child puts you in danger immediately."

"Oh God," Joanna said softly as Ken continued talking as if he never heard her.

"Plus Trisha mentioned she suspects there are things Zack or both twins may have been exposed to dangers that was never reported and I agree with her. I think we have to tread lightly in Zack's case especially since he refuses to connect with me at all. The long and short of it, my love, is we may a situation that may prove tougher than any political or military problem either of us of ever faced."

"Of course this is different. There are children involved," Joanna talked to her boyfriend, exasperation lurking in her tone.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Ken backpedaled. "What I meant is, that neither of us have had any long term singular responsibility for a child before and may heaven help us once Cody is found. It will be difficult to say the least. I wish we were close enough to have your parents on the intergalactic version of speed dial."

"Did I hear a joke at the end of that?" Joanna asked Ken with a loving. gentle tone. Her annoyances with him forgotten for the moment.

"Well, one of the suggestions of being a foster parent is to have a sense of humor and we are going to need it badly," Ken hesitated for a split second then continued. "I'm sorry for earlier. I suppose my frustration is showing. Do you think we are in over our heads with this?"

"If we are, we will continue against our odds until we get through this with Zack and hopefully Cody at least having a fighting chance at a normal life. I have no intention of failing at this. Besides, I could not look at myself in the mirror if I did not go all out for this situation. In the end, the worst thing that could happen to us is the fact we drown together."

Joanna stopped when Ken looked to butt in but she put a stop to that.

"Don't you dare say I am not involved. When you throw out the idea for being a foster father way back, I supported you fully even after all the letters we exchanged and arguments we had over the hurdles it was going to put in our relationship. Even mother thought it was a great idea and was ecstatic about you taking in a child, especially since your life was not so easy. To be honest, it probably pushed you a few notches up her likeability meter, willing to sacrifice your career to give a child a chance at life instead of falling through the cracks of society."

Ken's mouth snapped shut and simply nodded. After a moment, he gathered the courage to speak again. "You know the way you said that, made me love you even more."

"Suck up" Joanna shot back with a smile.

"Yep that's right. A boyfriend who has been trying to get onto his girlfriend's good side and stay there. That has been going since the first time Neanderthals said 'ugh' to each other and not being able to understand what they were saying or doing and thus causing problems."

"It's amazing the human species survived this long with men as part of it," Joanna countered with a grin.

"Hey that's cold and low. Women can be part of the problem too, you know," Ken exclaimed with shock. Joanna's eyes glittered with humor as she looked back at him and fired back.

"Who starts the wars? Who created the atomic bomb? Men. Point… set… match." Joanna's eyes triumphantly snapped toward the setting sun and the reddish-orange glare coming through the curtains.

"That may be true for the most part in human history but…" Ken slightly humored voice trailed away.

Ken's tone went more somber and quiet as he whispered into her ear. "At least I know you are the one woman who is going to keep me standing through this in one piece." Ken kissed her on the cheek and laid his head next to hers on the pillow.

The couple enjoyed each other's company as they thought about the struggles ahead. As the sun lowered below the horizon. Eventually both fell asleep as the looming darkness enveloped them.

* * *

Joanna was walking to the suite with armfuls of bags after coming back from shopping. She walked into the kitchen portion of the suite and there was already a crowd by the desk. There was Marion Moseby the Tipton's manager, Ken and some blond haired girl who Joanna had only seen once down in the lobby. Alexander was lying on the desk, his eyes focused on the Moseby, the girl, and Ken. They were in the middle of a conversation.

"So Marion who is this young lady standing here?" Ken asked with a cheerful voice.

"Her name is Madeline Fitzpatrick and she is our newest employee and will be working the candy counter downstairs after school. She received a work permit and she came with tremendous recommendations."

"Well that's nice. It must be nice to be able to put away money for something you want" Joanna said as she was walking in the kitchen section of the suite with the results of her shopping and the vaious items away.

Zack was in one of the armchairs with his head in his arms listening to the adults talk amongst themselves. He was torn inside about his feelings about everything and everyone around him. He could not stand it. He was thinking about Cody again and it just made it worse.

"Actually I need the job to help my parents out with their bills," Madeline replied.

"Really? That sucks," Ken says, voice full of compassion.

"Then there's my booger of a younger brother Liam who won't stop being annoying every second of his life…" Maddie stopped, realizing she was going on endlessly. She looked up at Ken and Joanna, who had smiles on their faces. Maddie thought she saw a sorrowful tone on Ken's face. She noticed the creature on his desk and thought she saw a picture online of one. She tried what it was. Then she remembered: a treecat. Maybe she would ask Ken what it was like to have one around. It would make for a great paper for school.

"I mean life is not exactly easy, you know," Maddie continued. She continued only to be cut off by Zack.

"What do you know of a hard life?" Zack voice pierced the atmosphere of the room. It was cold, metallic and held no emotion in it at all. Alexander's entire body was flat on the desk with his ears flattened and he was hissing.

"How do you know what it feels like to suffer unrelenting pain?" Zack's voice was severed from having any human compassion at all. He wanted them to feel one-tenth of the pain he felt as far back as he could remember. He needed to release it and the unfortunate targets were the people in the room.

Zack looked at the people standing in front of him. They all had shocked looks on their faces. Zack had no idea how he got into this position. One second, he was thinking about Cody in the armchair, the next he was standing up visibly shaking. The last thing he heard was Maddie talking about her younger brother.

"How do you know how it feels like to have everything you loved, ripped away from you and forced to live in a cold and uncaring world and cause pain to everyone around you? You all live perfect lives and you have a few problems and yet you think life is hard. You have no idea." Zack's voice ran over the suite, full of cold fury.

Maddie looked at Zack with shock, confusion and fear in her eyes. His voice sounded like it was coming from an elemental force of nature than a human child. His eyes were blood shot and tear were silently running his cheeks. In normal circumstances, she would think he was cute for an eleven year old, but now he looked like a viper, ready and willing to strike at anything that crossed his path.

Zack thought he'd struck home at Ken when the man's eyes darkened over as Zack continued his rant. He saw Maddie slowly back up from him with a scared and confused facial expression. Out of the corners of his eyes he saw Moseby, the hotel manager and Joanna with equally shocked looks on their faces.

_Underneath the mask, Maddie looks like a blond goddess_, a part of his brain said but he was too angry to care about the moment and ravaged the thought.

Ken interrupted his explosion by saying "Zack that's not fair. I lost friends to combat and having to deal with the pain, anguish and grief that come with it. I had to move on and continue with my life or else I would not exist. I know the people that have been taken from my life would hate me for it if I didn't move on."

_I know more about pain than you think Zack_, Ken thought he looked at the child in front of him and he felt overwhelming pity towards him and continued.

"I know you are venting about how bad your life is and it's true, you have been thrown more curveballs in eleven years of life than most people get in a lifetime. But I am trying to help you and maybe if we find Cody…"

Zack's full rage started again as soon he heard his brother's name.

"The cops told me they were going to find him and I believed them at first. Then they started to lie to me because I knew they had stopped trying. But they said they would keep on trying but they didn't. You can say you will try to find him but eventually you will stop trying and you will never find him." Zack's voice was full of crushing despair and emptiness reigned in his tone.

Joanna regained her composure and started to talk to Zack as he regained his control and tried to stop casting his wave of destruction in the room. Her soothing tone was trying to reach out to the boy's heart.

"Zack?... Ken's right about what you have gone through. We don't blame you for it. We never will. I could not know what it feels to go through the soul twisting events of your life. You have to realize we are here for you and we would never blame for your past."

Zack desperately wanted to reach out to her and accept what she said as true but the monster inside would not let him.

"That's a lie. You blame me for everything in my past. You all do. You don't care about me. All you care about is yourselves." Zack voice was a jumble of anger and sorrow as he snapped at Joanna. The boy jaggedly turned around and walked into his room and slammed the door.

The survivors of the onslaught released a breath they did not know they had been holding. Ken slowly grabbed Alexander from the desktop and hugged him against his chest to calm him down and then lowered him into his lap.

"What was that… and where did that come from?" stammered Moseby to Ken, who was still clearing his head from the blitz of Zack's explosion. Maddie looked at Joanna with staggered eyes.

Moseby saw the treecat many times before with Ken as the officer walked through the hotel. Ken explained to him what he was and he was okay with the creature even through it violated Tipton's rules about animals. It would stay that way as long as the animal did not cause any problems.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that. You see… Zack had a rough life to say the least. Zack was an orphan from the age of five when he lost his parents. He and his younger twin brother were the last from their family. To make matters worse, his twin younger brother was kidnapped when he was 9 so right now, he hates the world." Ken apologetic voice squeezed out from the stress of the situation.

"But that does not give him the right to bite our heads off for it especially since it's not our fault." Moseby replied with resentment in his voice.

"However, that does give him a right to be frustrated with everything and at least a sense of compassion from the people around him as he gets through the minefield in his path." Joanna countered with a pleading and understanding tone.

Maddie was too shaken to say anything but Ken reached out to her.

"I'm sorry Maddie for what happened. We figured his younger brother Cody was an extremely sensitive topic but I did not expect him to go ballistic like that. You talking about your family was probably what set him off. Don't take it personal but I think he just needed a target to hit. Circumstances created the situation that we were the ones he lost it on."

Maddie nodded slowly and left with Moseby as the remaining people and a treecat tried to figure how to contain the emotional unstable warhead they had in their midst.

* * *

Zack was lying on his bed thinking about the ramifications of his actions today as his empty shell tried to stay warm. He felt extremely remorseful about it but anther side of him came out and he could not fight it anymore. His relationships with the people around him were irreversibly damaged in his eyes. But the primal part of him which annihilated his chance at a new life took gratification from triggering the devastation left in his wake.

**Somewhere out there beneath the pale moonlight**

**Someone's thinking of me and loving me tonight**

_What I have done? They are going to get rid of me for sure now. _Silent tears ran down his red puffy checks as he contemplated his past and his future.

Zack's body shook as his memories flashbacked into his past. He feared going back and being reminded of his loss and the disintegration of his world. Unfortunately his mind did not care what he wanted and take advantage of his weakness.

He remembered the day exactly. It was the middle of May and it was warm and the two twins were walking home from school laughing at a joke Zack said to Cody about a teacher with a mole on her face. Both were wearing matching jeans and sneakers along Zack's red shirt and Cody's blue one.

The scene played in front of Zack's eyes like a movie but he was unable to run away from no matter how hard he tried.

He saw the beat up red car speed up and come up beside them with its screeching tires. Zack remembered the smell of burning rubber and car exhaust to this day and they still send him into a shivering mess every time.

"Watch out! Run!" Zack yelled desperately to his younger more innocent self but it was useless. It still happened the same way.

_The car stopped next to them and a guy rushed from an opened door from behind them and grabbed both of them. Zack slipped from his grip and turned around to find Cody almost in the vehicle_.

"Hurry! Run! Hang on! Don't let go!" The current day Zack yelled.

_He watched helplessly as the younger Zack grabbed Cody's waist and his brother's backpack and hung for dear life. The kidnapper, realizing time was of the essence; decided one was better than none and punched the older twin to get him off. Zack remained steadfast until the man kicked him in-between the legs and Zack let go of his twin_.

_"Zack! Help me please! No I don't want to go! Let me go!"_

The present day Zack cried as he heard Cody's panicked voice in his ears, calling out to him to him for help and his younger self was on the ground in pain.

_The younger Zack struggled to get up and the car was rolling away and he watched in horror as his younger self run after the car but it tragically started to pull away with Cody banging on the windows in terror with his silent screams beckoning to his other half. The older twin ran after the car until he collapsed. A failure in his mission in life as the protector of his younger brother._

**Somewhere out there someone's saying a prayer**

**That we'll find one another in that big somewhere out there**

The scene ended with Zack sobbing in his bed, reliving the nightmare as he had done so many times before. His heart was shattered once again. The boy wondered if his life was worth the breaths he was taking or should he shrivel up and disappear. Guilt was pressing upon his chest making it hard to breath.

**And even though I know how very far apart we are**

**It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star**

_If only I ran harder… If only I had stayed closer to him, this never would have happened._ Zack thoughts ran though his brain like a flash, the brightness of the pain blinding him from any hope in life. It was like the few pictures of Cody he had under his pillow. Cody also had pictures in his backpack when he was taken from him. Those photos were the last physical and painful reminders of his brother he had with him. His twin's other things were boxed up and were stored somewhere where Zack was afraid to go.

**And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby**

**It helps to think we're sleeping underneath the same big sky**

Zack almost begged to feel the life of his brother's arm around his shoulder when they took a picture knowing he was close, his only true friend and constant companion. He pleaded to hear the vibrations of the joy and curiosity of his twin as they explored life together after such much tragedy in their young lives. That was stolen from him.

**Somewhere out there if love can see us through**

**Then we'll be together somewhere out there**

**Out where dreams come true**

Now his hopes were nothing but an evaporated dream. They were but whispers of the clouds disappearing with the currents of the night sky. He would gladly give his soul away for a chance at seeing him alive even for a second. But Zack knew his dreams would never come true. He dealt with the fact he was destined to live a tormented existence as the moon rose higher into the night's sky. The space in the bed became a hallowed space of nothingness as the night went on, doomed to be ravaged by grief and pain.

* * *

Ken sat in his chair brooding over the previous last couple of days. Zack was for all tenses and purposes, non-existent except for meals which he ate sparingly.

"Zack is starting to scare me a little." Joanna spoke, bringing Ken out of his self-imposed depression as they realized how things were getting desperate for the couple.

"How so?" asked Ken with melancholy in his voice.

Joanna came to the back of his desk chair and wrapped her arms around his chest. She knew Ken was taking it hard. She just hoped she was not losing Ken and Zack at the same time.

"Well for one thing, he acted like he's in his own universe. Another is the fact he is barely showering at all and his room is a disaster. It's like he's has no spirit at all."

They watched Zack's door open and close and watch the boy pace his way across the suite ignoring their presence completely and walk out of the suite for school.

"I wonder if there's any way at all we can get him back" Ken's eyes peeled to the door with a sense of longing and dying hope.

There was a bang on the door that forced both of them out of their pensive behavior. Joanna opened the door and Ken looked up to see one of the members of Joanna's cavalcade with a strange expression on his face. Ron was his name. He had chestnut hair and light blue eyes.

"Sorry to bother you this early but I have some exciting news. We found him," Ron announced.

"Found who exactly?" Ken asked his mind not up to the task.

"Cody, of course." Joanna and Ken's spirits soared as the miracle they have been waiting was gift wrapped on a doorstep for them to find.

"How did you…" Ken was interrupted by Ron.

"We found him by matching the birthdates along with facial recognition technology and a match was found to a boy in Harrisburg P.A. He was on a list of recovered children released by authorities early this morning. We matched him to a picture of Zack and Cody for school since they were twins and it came to a hundred percent match. Two years difference in ages barely changed a person's face at all."

Joanna and Ken looked at each other and said the same thing to Ron.

"We are going right now."

* * *

**I was typing this as I was watching the Suite Life Movie. All I say is that you can tell which part of the season in terms of characters traits it was supposed to be in. That's all I say for fear of spoilage. However in the end, it was not half bad. There were certain parts where I laughed my head off. Heck it may have given me a few ideas. **

**The lyrics used were from the song Somewhere Out There from the American Classic American Tail movie from 1986.**

**Anyway, please read and review for the chapter. If you have any additional questions or comments, just PM me. Thanks**.


	7. Tale of Travis

**Disclaimer: I don't own Suite Life or Honor Harrington Series**

**Ken, Maggie, Alexander, Ron, Catherine Tate are my OCs**

**I would to thank Darkelements10 for betaing the chapter.**

Joanna and Ken arrived in Harrisburg Pennsylvania by midmorning to follow up on Ron's lead on Cody. They ended up in front of a small one story white house with red window shudders next to a small park.

"Cozy" Ken said out loud before he knocked the door. The door opened a woman with a mound of gray/silver hair surrounding a kind looking but slightly worn face.

"Hello my name is Maggie, how may I help you?" Maggie asked.

"Hello I called in regards to an eleven year boy in your care, my name is Ken Mitchell. I was wondering if we could come in. This is my girlfriend, Joanna and my friend Ronald Cummings."

"Of course, Mr. Mitchell come in, we have been waiting for your arrival. I have to warn you though; the boy under my care is a bit skittish around new people."

"I understand" Ken answers relaxed, his eyes on his two companions. "We will keep our space from him if possible."

The three walk in while Maggie's eyes focus on the tree cat on Ken's shoulder. The group walks into the living room and Ken realizes his error and introduces Maggie to Alexander, who extends his paw to Maggie, who shook it with a slight hesitation.

"Ronald, can you stand against the wall in order to decrease the anxiety of the boy as much as is permitted?" Ken asks the man.

Ronald gave the captain a look of understanding before moving near the doorway to the room while everybody else sat down and waited.

A woman walked into the room and introduced herself.

"Good morning, my name is Catherine Tate. I am Travis's social worker. I never expected a response so fast when Travis was placed into the system. However I must tell you, he has put into an extremely difficult situation. The boy was separated from his father after the school he went to suspected child abuse and malnourishment and put in a request for help. The police investigated and when they went into the house to get him out, they found the boy shaking on the floor in a pair of beat up pants with injuries all over him with his father and a male friend standing in the room, degrading and yelling at him. Needless to say, the case was open and shut rather quickly. "

_Why are they calling the boy Travis?_ , wondered Joanna. _I thought his name was Cody._ Joanna tuned in as Catherine continued talking.

"Travis would barely talk about what happened but between his testimony and the physical evidence on his body and other evidence found in the house; both men were put away for 20 years. They were put away almost two weeks ago with the jury making record time on the indictments and verdict. After that Travis barely spoke at all to anyone."

Ken and Joanna looked at each other with heartbreaking looks on their faces, realizing their job just got harder. Ken thought of his hope for Cody when he was at the hospital and he realized the boy was far from safe and sound.

"Can we see the boy now?" Joanna asked with slightly shaking tone. Catherine nodded and went down into the hallway.

_Oh God. Look at him. He's so scared. _Joanna thought as she saw the boy come into the living room. She just wanted to go over there and give a hug but she knew to do that would scare the boy. Even so, some part of her instinct begged her to comfort the boy in some fashion. The boy's nervousness resonated off him like a tuning fork, but his face was pointed down submissively so she never got a good look at him. His eyes were the only objects she got a look at. His eyes darted sneakily to get a look around.

_This kid has definitely been through hell._ Ken thought he looked at the face of the boy who was shaking when he caught a glimpse of Ken and Ronald and his pupils were wide with fear and shrunken in his skull. The eyes raced to the floor as soon he made direct eye contact with anyone.

He was gently guided by Catherine to a couch opposite of the visitors where his orbs stayed pinned to the floor. He appeared really small in stature with clothes that appeared to be too big for him just made him more pathetic to Ken. His honey mist auburn hair color and eyebrows clashing with his pale skin.

Ken and Joanna looked at each other with pity in their eyes and refocused as Catherine stated to speak gently.

"Well Travis, this is Ken and Joanna from the Star Kingdom. They wish to see you. Why don't you say hello to them?" asked Catherine with a tone meant for a young child.

"H-Hello" The boy's voice barely rose above a whimper, its fear obvious.

"Hello Travis, it's nice to meet you finally. I hope you are alright this morning. I hope we can get to know each other better as the day goes on."

Travis moved his head up a little at Joanna's greeting and his vision caught Alexander in his sights. Ken eyes widen in realization.

_We found him. I don't believe it. _The raising of the boy's head allowed him to see his full face and it was obvious it was Cody.

Ken gripped Joanna's and mouthed to her, _Its Cody_.

Underneath the thick mask, the auburn hair and his emaciated dark green eyes, the look was uncanny and now they knew what to do. But they would have to move slowly.

"Travis, we live in Boston Massachusetts and we already have a child in our care. Why don't we get to know each other and start off by showing you of a picture of him? He's your age actually and we have only had him for about a month but we think you have things in common."

Cody/Travis looked at Catherine who nodded.

Cody looked at the picture in his hand from Joanna and turned it over.

_Who is this? I could sworn I have seen him before but I don't remember from where through? _A part of his mind stabbed his conscious thought with searing pain and he ripped the picture in pieces in confusion and fear.

"Travis what's wrong. Why did you rip the picture up? Who was in the picture?" Maggie's voice was teeming with worry as she moved next to him. The pieces of the photo falling like snow around them.

"I don't know." The boy said with his head in his hands as a numbing headache affected him.

"I think you do" Ken said with total seriousness.

"What do you mean?" asks the boy terrified at the man's tone.

Ken looked at the boy realizing he just might have to push to succeed.

"What I mean is the fact is that Travis is not your real name, is it?"

"Yes it is" the boy rejected Ken's suggestion outright. "My name is Travis Randolph Hearst. I have lived with my father for almost two years in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where we lived with his best friend. I achieved Bs and Cs in school. "

Both Ken and Joanna were shocked at the boy's sincerity and his own believably of his statements.

_He actually believes the man is his father! Why would he do that? It makes no sense what so ever!_

Joanna regained her composure faster and followed Ken's lead.

"Travis, are you sure about who you are? What about before Altoona? Where do you live before then?"

"Of course. We lived in Pittsburgh; he worked in the steel industry but was laid off."

Ron's calm expression was shattered as he heard the boy defend his situation with calm. It shocked him to no end because he knew it was a lie. He matched the photos to the boy and saw the information himself.

Ken decided to get rid of subtlety and cut to the chase.

"I don't think you are correct. You are not Travis. That person is not sitting in front of me. He does not exist as I see him." The boy cuts him off in anger.

"Yes I am! Why don't you believe me! I'm Travis!"

"Can all the adults please go into another room so we can talk?" begged Catherine in order to calm tension in the room

The group nodded, leaving Alexander and Cody in the living room alone while they walked outside onto the patio.

"What is going on" Catherine asked Ken directly. "The boy's name is Travis Randolph Hearst according the records.

"Well your records are wrong. His real name is Cody Martin, born in Seattle at St. Joseph's Hospital on May 4, 1993. Cody was kidnapped when he was nine but he had a twin brother Zack who escaped the attempt and now lives with us." Ken answered simply.

Maggie and Catherine staggered back at the bombshell dropped in their midst.

"How do you know this?" Catherine asked dazed.

"When you released his information to the authorities, it matched info we had of Cody who I have been trying to find since Zack came into my purview. That match brought us here this morning."

"Can you prove it?" asks Maggie.

Joanna hands the other two ladies a file and they open it. Their eyes go wider as they slowly comprehend what they are reading, but the eyes become as big as saucers as soon as they see the picture of Zack.

"It appears to be correct as to what you said." Catherine says as she sits down in a nearby chair.

"Ok now that you believe us, why would he deny his true name?" asked Joanna with worry and confusion in her eyes.

"I am not sure but I am pretty sure it has to do with all the trauma he has suffered from in the last years. Maybe some sort of defense mechanism?" Ken replied hesitantly.

"Even so, it appears we may have to go slowly with this as a result of this information." Catherine said while rubbing the sides of her forehead, realizing everything about the child she knew could be wrong.

"Can we least put in paperwork to see about some form of emergency placement with us?" Joana asks.

Maggie intercedes, "The system frowns about potential parents taking children and running off with them so there will be a waiting period."

"We understand. We just hope we can get through this fast enough so we reunite them and start the healing process." Joanna answers with regret.

Catherine agreed, "We will try to make the process go as fast as we can, but I need to coordinate with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families in order for this to go forward. Just give me a little time."

The adult nodded to this but one spoke out. "In the meantime, what we do about Cody… I mean Travis?" asks Ronald curiously.

"I figured since he will not accept his birth name we might have to let him go at his own speed. Maybe eventually when he further away from the trauma, time and location wise, he will come around." Ken answered calmly with a twinge of hope and worry mixed in.

Ok, now that settled, I presume Cody is staying with me for the time being?" Maggie inquires.

Catherine, Joanna and Ken looked at each other and nodded.

"We don't see an issue with that. As the boy feels as safe as he can under the circumstances, there will be no problem with the current arrangements." Ken added. "I have an idea. Will it be alright if Catherine, Maggie, and Joanna take the boy for lunch or something and get him a haircut in order to get to know him more?"

Catherine answered "I can see to that however it going to be an early lunch considering my workload. By the way, where are you going?"

"I have talk to the local Manticorean representatives about the future situation with the boy to smooth things out as well as some other things" Ken's tone changed from happy to something else Joanna could not put her finger on as Ken continued. "I take Alexander so he feels more comfortable around you, ladies." At that he kissed Joanna and went into the house.

Ken found the boy keeping his eyes on the tree cat suspiciously while Alexander looked across at him with equally focused eyes from the couch across from him. Ken chuckled as he saw the standoff. The noise got the two's attentions.

"Well, Travis, I am sorry for upsetting you earlier. However I still like to know you. I will be going down town to complete some business. But in the meantime, it seems Joanna, Catherine, and Maggie is going to take you for an early lunch to get to know you and maybe for a haircut. Your hair is getting a little long."

The boy thought it for second, looking at himself.

"Okay" he responded and watched the man pick up the odd creature named Alexander and walked out of the house.

_I think I like my hair shorter_, the boy thought as he looked into the mirror as the lady cut his hair down to a bowl cut. **(A/N: Same hair style in the first season in SLOZAC. Just a different color. Sorry if I missed the style up).**

Joanna looked at the boy in the chair and sighed.

_Things could much worse than they were, but I am nervous about telling Zack. Especially about telling Zack about Cody's changes. He might take it hard. _

"Hello honey" Ken's voice drew her out of her stupor and she smiled at him.

"How'd it go?" she asked him.

"Better than I could imagine." He replied as if a load was taken off his shoulders. He looked the boy in the chair. "It's practically the same as Zack's length except auburn instead of blond. Couldn't get him to change it to blond?" he asked the trip of women with Ronald standing behind them as usual.

"We figured it would a good idea to take baby steps with him. Besides, the picture of Zack created a reaction out of him. So we figured the closer we get him to accept who he is the better and the first step is the haircut." Catherine answered him for the group.

"Well it's a start I suppose." Ken exclaimed.

"So how do I look?" the boy asked as he came over to the group.

"Much better" The group declared. The boy hesitated as he looked Ken and Ronald and his eyes were set on Alexander.

He remembered Joanna said that Ken was an officer in the Manticorean Navy and she was involved in politics in the Star Kingdom. Ronald was a security assigned to her by the Manticorean government for her protection. When he asked about the creature, she said it was a tree cat and its name was Alexander and ken met him years before on a trip to one of the Star Kingdom's three planets.

"Hello again." Said Ken with a smile.

"Hi" The boy's voice still tinged with nervousness. "Is the tree cat nice?"

Ken realizing he was talking about Alexander said "Yes it is. Actually the child who lives with us warmed up to him pretty fast." Ken picked up the tree cat and placed him on a chair and the boy slowly but surely started to pet him, relaxing noticeably.

Later on Ken looked at the time and cleared his throat.

"Unfortunately we have to leave now if we want to get back before Zack comes home from school. The hard part is going to tell him what happened today. Hey Travis" _or Cody in Ken's mind _"here is my card in case you need to contact me." Ken gave the boy the card. "On the back is the number of the boy whose picture you saw today. If you want you can call him after 3pm today to introduce yourself."

The boy thought for a moment, unsure of making the call or not. Ken noticed the auburn color in his hair was slowing starting to fade and another color was peeking through.

"Um thanks, I think about it. It was nice meeting you"

"That's all I ask for is for you to think it and we should see each other soon." The boy said his goodbyes and watched as the three visitors in his life walked out of the salon wondering at the card with the number in his hand.

Zack was struggling to finish his homework like usual at the table in the suite.

"Why do you to seem more tired than usual?" he asked Joanna as he looked at his math homework.

"We just had a long day, that's all. Something came up just after you left for school and we only just got back at about 2pm."

"Oh okay."

Zack got up and went into his room to grab his phone. He opened the door to hear it ringing twice. He picked it up on the second ring.

"Hello." No response. Zack did hear breathing o the other end. "Hello. Who is this?" When Zack finished, all he heard was a dial tone.

He looked at the phone, confused and checked the last call, not knowing who it was. He walked to the living room and asked Ken who has the number.

"I answered the cell and said hello twice and then someone dropped the call" Ken paled at this and looked at Joanna, who nodded at Ken.

"Zack sit down please. We need to talk. It's about what happened today." Joanna asked Zack with a gentle tone.

"What so important" Zack asked impatiently.

"It's about Cody. We found this morning" Ken said quickly. Zack looked at him desperate for information.

"We found him in Harrisburg, PA in a foster home…" ken tried to continue but Zack cut him off.

"Why did not you pull me out of school when you knew it was him? Why?" His voice teeming with emotion.

Joanna answered," Zack, we did not know what state he would be in. We went there not knowing what happened to him. Now that we do and we think we made the right decision."

"What do you mean?" Zack's voice going lower as he heard Joanna's tone of uneasiness. Ken responded quickly.

"He's in alright shape, but Zack he's been through a lot and he's not himself. He was abused for a while it seems. They just put the guys away who did it two weeks ago. Cody's nervous, does not trust anyone and when we met him, he called himself Travis, not Cody."

Zack rose out of his seat in shock. _Cody not knowing his own name? How is that possible?_

"How? Why? Who was that who called me earlier?" The words came out under iron fisted control of Zack's mouth but the adults knew he was desperately trying to stay in control.

"I gave Cody my card with your cell number on it so he could call you but I guess he could not go through all the way with it. As to why he calls himself Travis instead of Cody, I am not sure of the answer. My theory is that it has something to do with the trauma he has endured and he can't afford to face it yet so the name Travis is a shield from the pain." Ken waited for the explosion to happen but it did not occur.

Zack sat down and spaced out wondering how his own brother could lose some much of himself as to forget who he was.

"What about bringing him here" The voice appeared dead but Joanna answered carefully.

"We are trying to move as fast as we can with the foster system but they have to check everyone for Cody's sake. You have to give us time but we promise the second we can reunite both of you we will."

Zack only nodded and got up and went to his room, while the people in the room he left, wondered how their miracle deemed in less than 10 hours and hoped the system, which was usually slow, moved with lightning speed.

**Maggie is based off of the character of the same name in the 1994 Disney movie Angels in the Outfield. **

**I like to thank the total anomaly for assisting me in the polishing the story idea for this chapter and future ones as well.**

**Please read and review the chapter. If you have questions or comments, feel free to PM me. I will answer them without a problem.**


	8. Friends over and Progress?

**Disclaimer: I do not the Suite Life or the Honor Harrington Series.**

**I like to thank Darkelements10 for betaing the chapter for me.**

"Hey guys, do you mind coming to my place after school? I want to tell you something?"

Zack's question stunned his trio of friends as they headed to their lockers after their history class. It was unexpected to say the least.

Zack realized his friends (or least people who meant to him the closest thing to friends except for one person) were still recovering from his question.

"Guys, this is important. I should have said something earlier but I did not feel comfortable talking about it until recently. Actually the point is I am still not totally comfortable talking about it. I figure if I don't get it out now, bigger issues may come up later that might affect us." _Of course what is "us"?_, Zack's mind questioned but he continued out loud. "I'm sorry it's just that, I have moved around a lot most of my life and it's hard for me to make and keep friends as a result."

Max looked at him with sympathy. Besides Tape who was lived next door to her, she had very few friends as well. Her tomboyishness made it even worse in the eyes of the school's female population. Tape's own quirkiness pushed people to think he was weird at the very least. Tom knew the feeling as well considering this was his third school in as many years.

"That's cool. At least you are opening up to us now," said Max aloud.

"I thought it was something we did that caused you to act the way you did," Tapeworm added.

Zack's eyes widened and opened his mouth.

"It was not you guys, it was me. I had a lot of things go on in my life. As a result, I have issues. Making friends is one of them."

"Zack, we all have issues. Come on, it's the first week in February. Some people take time to warm to each other. Hopefully after this we can be more "us" around each other?"

"I hope so" answered an apprehensive filled Zack. _Issues Tom, You have no idea. I just hope you are still there after this. _Zack's mind filled with worry as he thought of that afternoon.

* * *

"Good Gracious, I thought the military bureaucracy had a black hole for paperwork" Ken remarked as he saw the mountains of paperwork in Trisha's office as he and Joanna visited her for an update on Cody's case. Alexander's claws allowing the treecat to steady himself on Ken's shoulder if the man made any sudden movements.

"Well it's not easy having to take care of a dozen cases, including the twins' situation as well," Trisha's resignation filled the room to capacity.

"Are the rest of the social workers overworked as well?" Joanna asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, yes. Most have it worse than I do. The entire system is overburdened due to the number of children needed to helped, the lack of time for the workers, and space for the children for each worker to check on everyone. That does not include the reality there are never enough foster or adoptive parents around to help sometimes."

"It's not their fault, you know. Being a foster or an adoptive parent is not easy as both of you found out. There's the training and the willingness to give love and support to somebody else's child. A child who does not know you well and could have their own physical, emotional and psychological issues involved from drug, physical and sexual abuse, parental death and a slew of other causes as well." Trisha's voice clearly strained as she was saying this.

"I knew it was bad, but the scope of it sounds almost impossible to fix." Joanna remarks in shock.

"Not impossible, just extremely difficult under the circumstances. I was ecstatic when I realized people from the Star Kingdom were willing to adopt from here. You've raised my hopes up."

"You realize we are just one couple right, Trisha? We can't just say the word and your problems will be solved." Ken said with tact or as much as he could.

"I know I know. It's just that sometimes you need a symbol to make something happen and two people who were not on this planet over a year decide to foster one, maybe two children, it's at least a step in the right direction. Especially with both of your connections back home in the Star Kingdom."

Ken and Joanna looked at each other quickly.

"We'd rather not use our connections in such a direct manner at this time. You see we have not told Zack everything about us. We figure we would take it one step at a time. We realize this is not what a foster parent would normally do but these are strange circumstances regarding Zack and his twin's case. " Joanna said with total seriousness.

"But what about your mother? When people realize that a person of your stature is doing this…" Trisha tried to continue but was politely cut by the other woman.

"My mother will understand my decision and the reasoning behind it. Who I am is another reason for what we are doing," Joanna said gently but with purpose.

Trisha looked at her opposite and saw the reason why Ken loved her so much. She was so powerful, her ability to impact a person with her will so obvious. Of course, her charisma proably had something to do with her position back in the Star Kingdom, Trisha lamented. She realized then she was no match for her in that department and shoved her unprofessional feelings towards the man away and focused on the case at hand. Ken's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"We figure if we told him everything at once, it might overwhelm him with the stress he is under. I can tell you this much, I was in shock when I realized who Joanna was when we first met. Imagine what an 11 year old will think with his twin's brother's foster case hanging above him, especially since DNA confirmed the boy is Cody but he is denying what we know is his own true identity. "

"So there's no way I can change your mind about this matter?" Trisha put to Ken, but her eyes were locked on Joanna's face.

"Zero" Joanna answered with focused determination, her mask created from experience. Ken realized a long time she would have made a great chess player if she put her mind to it. Of course that would be a waste of her talents.

Trisha knew she lost and moved to the main topic at hand.

"It's actually Cody, I mean Travis, we need to talk about. My counterpart Catherine Tate in Harrisburg sent a file on the therapy the boy was going through since getting pulled out of the hell he was in. There are some issues that are slowly coming to the front that will cause problems especially with Zack."

"Issues?" The word dribbled out of Ken's mouth with an edge.

"The short version of it is that the boy refuses to answer to Cody. He will only respond to Travis, no matter how hard we try to get through to him. What's worse is the fact that he defended his kidnappers even we say they hurt him. He says we don't understand what happened and that we are have it all wrong."

"Great. One more issue we have to deal with now, "growled Ken.

"Is there a psychological reason for Cody to do this?" Joanna asked while ignoring Ken's attitude.

"The therapists have surmised Cody is suffering from a case of Stockholm Syndrome. The syndrome can occur during a situation where a victim sympathizes with his abuser or kidnapper in order to better his chances for survival in the life threatening situation they are in. in Cody's case, he could have sympathized with his kidnappers in order to survive the kidnapping that occurred."

"But he was freed from the situation, why would he still continue to sympathize with them?" questioned Joanna.

"The reasons for the child to act like this can boggle the mind, love" Ken commented. His chin supported by his hand in traditional thinking posture. Alexander buried his small head in his hair. The whiskers poking out like lightning rods.

"Maybe getting him in a new environment with Zack will help, I hope. We will only know if the court approves the boy's placement in your care, of course." Trisha continues thinking about the future. She looked at the clock, shocked at how much time has passed.

"Unfortunately I have tons of paperwork and we have to stop here for today. If you have any questions, call me. I will inform you of any changes when they come about."

"We have been waiting two weeks for the decision to come about. Any slower I will be starting to wonder what's going on." Ken said, his aggravation growing at the situation. The three adults and one treecat rose up and shook hands.

"Trisha, I apologize for the way I acted earlier." Joanna said her voice contrite. "Its just we fear any public distractions will not allow us to help any kids to the best of our abilities. We will tell them ourselves privately and start them on a path to normalcy if possible."

"I accept your apology and I understand your reasoning. I hope the twins achieve what you wish to accomplish." Trisha's voice full of optimism and watched as the woman left the room.

"You know she can really be intimidating when she wants to be" Ken told Trisha, voice full of ardor and pride as he looked at the love of his life. "That's why I love her so much. She can be the weight bearing column of an entire structure one minute while five minutes later, be sensitive to a child. Honestly though she still surprises me."

"So it sounds like you would do anything for her," remarked Trisha with a hint of sadness.

"Without a doubt. I would never hurt her. Besides if I did, my existence would be over in an instant. I have seen too many people have one night stands with other people, only to be used and thrown away when things get tough, to used to rebound from a past relationship or wasted in acts of pleasure or pain and be treated like we don't have human consciences or feelings," Ken's voice darkened.

Trisha looked at Ken, troubled, wondering why he felt that way.

"I have seen it too many times in my life where people hurt each other just because the can or they have power to do so or due to sick impulses, urges and desires. Human relationships should be about love and support and guidance when the people in our lives need it. Otherwise it's just a waste of human sensitivity and our well-being and trust of others. I personally have no plans to ever do that to anyone in my life. I have seen too much of it. In the end, Joanna will get every ounce of my spirit until I die. I will not betray her because if I did that, I would hurt myself as well."

Ken stopped himself and closed his eyes for a few seconds and looked at Trisha, something strange in his eyes. She could not figure out what though.

"Well I babbled on enough. You have enough to do, Ms. Cunningham. Good day." He walked leaving behind a lessen social worker worrying about him.

* * *

"This is insane" Max's voice rang through the hallway. "You have a game room, a swimming pool, and you live in a suite."

Zack was slightly embarrassed as the quartet of preteens moved towards Zack's suite. He wondered how Ken and Joanna were going to react to having people from school.

He slid his card key into the slot above the door handle and opened the door.

The suite was quiet as the group walked into the main room and spread themselves on couches and chairs. Zack watched his friends look around the suite as he waited to see what his foster parents' reactions would to see three unknown kids in their suite unannounced. He hoped they would not erupt.

"Max, look at this, he has books ranging from the American Revolution to current day Europe."

"Tape, you should know not to touch other people's stuff. What if you damage it?" Max's eyes drilled holes in Tapeworm's skull as she saw the bushy haired boy quickly place the books back on the shelf.

Tom smirked at the relationship between the two and read the spines of the books on second bookshelf located in between two doorways.

"Zack? Whoever lives with you must be smart. Books range from Islamic fundamentalism, Clausewitz's On War as well as Francis Fukuyama's End of History to Michio…

"…Kaku's Parallel Worlds. A study of advanced physics about the possibility of parallel worlds. He talks about black holes. Very enlightening although it can be complicated for the unprepared."

Tom jumped back from the man looking over his shoulder. He had no idea how the man snuck up on him so quietly without him noticing.

"Bleek" Tom's head turned to the sound and saw something he had only seen in databases and press photos: a treecat. He always wanted to see one. Now there's one in front of him and he was thrilled. Unbeknownst to the adults in the room. Max and Tape shared a quick look with each other as they recognized the creature from some Star Kingdom press events on CNN covered a while back while at Max's house.

The man's head turned with a curious and slightly amused expression turned to Zack, who jerked his had around as the sound of Ken's voice recoiled off the quiet atmosphere.

"Well it look like we have some visitors."

Tape hurriedly put the books back on the shelf and tried to act innocent as the woman finished her sentence and looked over at Max and him. He wondered who they were to Zack since they looked nothing like him between the different hair and complexion and both were good looking especially the man…

_Wait! Why did I think that last thought? _Tape thought, a little worried. He mentally shook his mind of the thought. _Well it's said the mind thinks of the weirdest things at the oddest times. I guess this is one of those times. _

Tapeworm liked girls especially one in particular but just on a basis of looks alone, the man by Tom was like a brown haired supermodel only better. Tape cut off the train of thought and focused on the conversation at hand.

"Well Zack, can I ask who are our guests or in your case, I presume friends?" Ken asked Zack as he settled down, realizing his nightmare was not going to come true after all.

Max answered "Hello sir, my name is Max, right next to me is Tapeworm and the one you shocked was Tom.

Ken nodded and looked at Tom and Tom returned the look. The same thought ran through both their heads at the same time. _He looks familiar somehow. I could swear I have seen him before somewhere._

"Well on our end, my name is Joanna, and the scary man is Ken. We are Zack's foster parents." Zack's eyes went downward as Joanna finished the introductions.

"Well that's explains a lot" says Tapeworm. "It explains why Zack acted the way he did since foster kids are not usually treated well in school. But you don't look like one with your clothes."

Ken answered the unasked question. "That's our fault. We decided to make to make Zack's transition as easy as possible into school under the circumstances. Unfortunately due to peer pressure and other factors, superficial things come into play such as style of clothes. We wanted to eliminate that by getting Zack a new wardrobe as a sign of him moving in."

Max zeroed on in specific words "Under what circumstances, did Zack come to living with you?"

"Obviously with my parents' dying" Zack snapped at her. "Zack" Joanna said with a gentle firmness.

"Sorry" Zack said quickly and Max looked at him with compassion.

"You can tell them the whole story if you want to. I had planned on doing it anyways." Zack told the group.

Joanna and Ken looked at the boy in surprise. They never expected Zack to reveal his past so willingly since he refused to talk to them about it.

The two adults looked at each other, relieved at the development since Zack was finally letting someone in if he let his walls come down. If not with them, then at least it would be someone whom he trusted. Ken started the reveal.

"Okay, Zack came to be living with us a month ago after a car accident, which caused his leg to be broken, which you now know the reason for. I got a call from his social worker asking if I wanted to help. I rushed down to the hospital as fast I could and stayed for the most part until he checked out."

Tom butted in "I was wondering since you have a treecat, are both of you Manticoran citizens?"

Joanna answered "Yes we are both Manticoran citizens. I arrived only 3 weeks ago." She looked at Zack with worry, questioning whether to move on and he gave the smallest nod and she continued.

"About two weeks ago we found someone who frankly changed everything we thought about the situation."

"Who was it?" Tapeworm asked quivering with nervousness, curiosity and excitement.

"Zack's twin brother."

Ken voice was cancelled out by the shock of Zack's friend's reactions with their exclaminations and widened eyes.

Ken continued unabated "Zack's twin brother Cody was kidnapped when the boy were nine years old on the way home from school. As a matter of fact, Zack was next to his brother when it happened but the kidnapper was too strong for him to stop it from happening. We found Cody in Harrisburg PA after we used facial recognition technology to match to a boy in the foster care system there and we have been trying to reunite them ever since."

"Well that's good at least you will be with your brother again." Max said with hope knowing a happy ending was in store.

"Maybe so, Max. But there have been complications due to the kidnapping and it will affect all of us in the twins' lives."

Ken stopped and looked into the eyes of Zack's new found confidantes, wondering if they realized how much pressure would be put on them. If they got through this together, the bonds of friendship would be almost impossible to break.

He hoped Zack was a good judge of character or this could backfire on him badly.

Joanna continued with iron graphite hard eyes but her anxious voice betrayed her.

"Cody is not accepting who we know he is and has assumed the identity of Travis, who the kidnappers named him order to keep him from being discovered. Just this morning, Zack's social worker told us, the therapists helping Cody has diagnosed him with Stockholm syndrome. In effect, no matter how many times we say him he is Cody, he rejects it and says he's Travis."

"Oh god. That's terrible. It's almost like finding him only to lose him again." Tom's sorrowful voice reached out but it was rejected by Zack.

"No, it's not. Cody's in there. All he has to do is see me and he will come out, you will see." Zack's anguish was the first true emotion his friends saw out of him and they cringed at the veracity of it.

"I hope so Zack. For all of our sakes. I certainly hope so" Joanna's voice sounded low, hoping Zack's prayer was listened to.

The phone rang and Ken picked it up. He did not say a word besides thank you and turned to the group.

"Well it looks like we have to head to Harrisburg tomorrow; we have to meet with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare regarding Cody. Hopefully they have finally made a decision regarding his placement."

Zack's head up and Ken quickly spoke up.

"If anything comes up, you will be the first one to find out besides the social workers, the authorities and us, okay?"

Zack nodded and his mind wondered what it would happen tomorrow since he would be at school. It would be like any day where he would be distracted, probably counting minutes until the end of the day. At least it would not in some stuffy office or a hot courtroom but he wished he could be there just for the shot of seeing his twin again.

* * *

Ken looked at the clock for the fifth time in the last hour. It seems as the sands of the hourglass of time decided to stop and torment him.

He leaned toward Catherine Tate, Cody's (_or Travis's_ he thought) social worker. _Man this going to get annoying really fast._

"We have been in the city all day talking to your reps and the judge as well. What more is there to do?" The irritation in his voice molding every word like hands working on clay.

Catherine being a veteran of such affairs clearly understood his irritation for the delay but she thought someone dealing with the massive amount of paperwork of commanding a warship would have more patience. However she breathed deeply and answered the question.

"Considering everything the boy has been through, the judge is being meticulous with the details because whoever has him now will have to deal the hardest part of recovering from any traumatic event: the beginning. He is trying to make sure the right people are surrounding the boy so he has the best shot at being normal."

"I know that, it's just that with his twin living with us, you would think there would an additional advantage in our corner."

Joanna interrupted their conversation. "Maybe that's the point. With Zack around, they want to make sure we can take care of both Cody and Zack with their relationship as well the twin's relationships separately with both of us as well."

Alexander added his two cents with a soft bleek from Ken's lap but Ken looked at the furry hairball with a warning look which said his opinion was not needed and the treecat settled realizing it was not the best idea to add his opinion at this time.

Ken could see her logic in Joanna's point but he just did not like to wait. Military situations where he at least had a shot at making an impact on decision making or an action that affects him he was be fine with.

But waiting for over a hour for a person in a black robe to make a decision was infuriating only because one; it dealt with a child's life and two; he had never been in that situation where a child's life was affected. His mind poked him and said _hey Ken there are two children involved. _Ken realized his mind was right. The fact that two children's care could in his hands made him a little (_Okay a ton_) nervous. He knew one thing: he would never back down from the responsibility if it's the last thing he did.

He looked at the center of the maelstorm and wondered what the boy was thinking.

* * *

The boy sat in his dress clothes wondering what he was going to happen to him. He decided to dye his hair auburn again as he done many times before, He just did not know why but he did like the color of his hair.

He wanted to be back with his father but the police and that lady, Catherine told him it was safer that he was not living with him anymore. They said his father had done something wrong and they needed to protect him.

_What did he do wrong? Was it me? Was I not good enough for him to keep me? I miss him so much. He was nice to me at times when I was not being bad. He fed me, gave clothes and allowed me to go to school. He protected me from the outside. Whenever I deserved punishment, it was my fault._

He looked at the adults setting nearby and felt isolated, alone. He knew they were there in body but they were not there in spirit. At least not to him. He said goodbye to Maggie earlier that morning. The woman was strong and kind while he lived at her house. He was starting to feel comfortable around her but they took him away from away. A part of him was angry at that but now he wondered what his future was going to be.

_I 'm scared. What will this home feel like? Will they like me? Will i be punished if I am bad? _He picked at his nails to pass the time before wondering about something else.

_They said had another boy with them but I got a good look at his face before I ripped up the picture. Why did I do that? He looked familiar but I just can't place him. I felt something connected to him but I can't place it. I wonder what it was?_

A part of his psyche tried to push past the barricades in his mind but failed as his consciousness struck it down. Eventually that particular part of his mind settled down, waiting for the right opportunity to arise again.

"Would the parties of the Travis Smith case please step into the courtroom now?" The court staff announced the request into the hallway. The boy walked in front of Catherine and the other adults and walked into the courtroom waiting the fate of his judgment on his future.

* * *

**Oh a cliffy. Sorry for taking so long. I was having difficulty getting past the suite scene and thinking and researching future chapter ideas. **

**Please read and review the chapter. if you have any questions at all regardng the story, you can PM me.**


	9. Not So Simple Things

**Disclaimer: I don't own Suite Life or Honor Harrington Series. However I do own Ken and Alexander and the entire security detail.**

**I like to Tiger002 for betaing the chapter.**

"If I'm trying to sleep, the ideas won't stop. If I'm trying to write, there appears a barren nothingness." ~Carrie Latet

**The above quote pretty describes my writing especially recently. Pretty much life has gotten in the way of writing. However I have no intention of stopping. Career obligations such as resumes, cover letters and other necessary parts of the career job search process have prevented me from focusing on this story and other fanfiction writing projects. I also had to deal with 2 instances of major writer's block with separate scenes of the chapter. I am sorry for not updating in almost four weeks. I should have the next chapter up within a few days. Enjoy.**

**To those who are graduating from college or finishing their school terms, congrats. It's not easy. As a former graduate, dealing with the stress levels and time management was the worst part.**

The sun was shining upon the Dauphin County Court House in Harrisburg like a fire gently the lifting Old Man Winter's touch from a courtyard. Jurors, lawyers, and other souls trying to swarm and claw their way towards a bearable subsistence surround the building. Their personal fortresses of solitude severed their humanity as they wasted their existence as automatons of a machine of the legal system.

The boy who thought of himself as Travis was sitting at the wooden table outside the courtroom thinking of his future blooming in front of him after the judge's decision. The nor'easter wind that blew lightly off the Susquehanna River through his hair was a shadow of the uneasiness in his heart as he realized as his placement caused him immense anxiety as his splintered dreams laid on the floor of the courtroom.

_They are sending me to hundreds of miles away to live with these people. I don't even get a choice in the matter. I begged them to let me stay and be with my father but they said in the interests of the child, it would better for me to live with these people! _Sorrow filled his eyes as he remembered the words of the judge in the courtroom and his decision.

He looked over at Joanna.

_She seems nice. She explained where she came from and I don't feel threatened by her. But I don't like the man. I know he apologized to me but I am still a little scared of him. I'm still a little nervous of that treecat._

Joanna looked over at the boy wondered what he was thinking.

_I know he's a little shaken right now. He's got to be. I mean we took him away from the person he thought was his father. No matter if he was wrong in our eyes, that man was his father in his eyes. Hopefully soon, we can slowly change him back to his own self but it won't be easy. Maybe Zack will make an impact on him. I can only hope we don't lose him to this forever. That would be the greatest tragedy of them all._

"Do you think we made the right decision by moving so quickly?" she asked Alice Powe, one of the security personnel detached to her this day. Alice had a long red haired ponytail and smashing blue eyes. Those eyes tried to look casually at the crowds in the area in order to protect her charge. She looked at Ronald Cummings and he nodded and took over the watch while Alice tried to answer Joanna's question. The two other armed security personnel, Yoshi and Karl, adjusted their positions to reflect the situation. The small courtyard had a few trees in it but besides them, it was deserted. Though security knew better than to take any chances.

"I don't think I can answer that question." Alice answered professionally. She realized this was not the type of personal questions she was used to answering. She felt more than slightly uncomfortable about the situation but she had a feeling the woman in front of her would like the true answer and answered the question again.

"Honestly, you made the best decision you could under the situation. Fortunately, you have Captain Mitchell to support you with the stress. He is as good a man you can have under the circumstances." _However low his sense of humor is, _she thought but did not say. "The situation is not ideal, however, the worst thing was to leave the boy hanging as he was with no help whatsoever. Ma'am, I have known you for years and I support you for what you're doing and I know your heart is in it."

Joanna looked at Alice and realized she believed her. Why would she not? She had no reason not to trust the woman. She just hoped she was up to the job.

Joanna's eyes found their way towards the sensitive soul sitting at the table a few feet away from her. She wondered how Ken was doing on his way back home.

"Mr. Martin, would you tell the class where the Declaration of Independence was signed at, please?"

Zack came out of his daze and his mind did not even register the teacher's question. His pencil was tapping on the desk loudly.

Max looked at Zack from the seat next to him with increasing worry.

_He's thinking about his brother again. I don't even know why he's even here. He's concentrating even less than usual. That's even when he's not nodding off in class. I just hope everything's alright. Oh well, might as well save him._

"Sir the Declaration of Independence was signed was Philadelphia PA in 1776."

The teacher thanked Max for the correct answer but his narrowed eyes were still on Zack's distant form.

The bell rang; signaling the end of class and Zack picked up his stuff and walked out of class ignoring everything and everyone.

Zack weaved through the mass of human beings as he made his way to his next class, his mind clearly not focused on the environment as he bumped people out of his way.

_I hope they get an answer on Cody soon. I can't stay connected to the classes. I know I can't figure this stuff out. I am too dumb to be here. I don't know why I even try to do it. I can't even answer a simple question. Max had the answer before I opened my mouth_. _I'm worthless._

_Maybe if Cody gets back. I have hope. Besides he's the one that deserves a second chance. Not me._

"Zack!"

A voice reached the cloudiness of Zack's mind and the boy stopped and turned around.

A man with brown hair dashed up to him. It was Ken.

"There you are. I was trying to find you," his voice full of impatience. _Good thing I left Alexander in the car to decrease distractions_, Ken thought_. I would so not get out of here quickly if he came along._

Zack backed up slightly to keep a safe distance from him. His science teacher, Mr. Knowles came behind him.

"Zack, you better hurry up or you will be late for class." Zack's eyes flickered between the two men on either side of him.

His trio of friends came up to him since they were in most of the same classes together. But Ken interrupted before they could ask what's going on.

"Excuse me sir, but I need to take Zack out of school right now. A situation has come where I need him to come with me. Beside the point, its personal and I rather not say what the reason is right now, but I explain later today or on Monday. I have already signed the boy out for the day and I am his legal guardian."

Mr. Knowles nodded and wished Zack good luck and gave him his assignment for the weekend and walked away.

"Besides that, I have a promise to uphold to a certain someone. I have no intention of ever breaking it."

Ken's comments hit Zack upside the head and his head whiplashed toward the man, eyes lit up with wonder and mouth agape with joy. He gazed up at the older man, who had a smile on his face causing his excitement to overwhelm him. Behind him, Max, Tape, and Tom put it all together and started to smile as well.

A blond haired blur ran toward his locker, almost ripping the hinges and the dial off in an effort to quicken his pace. A tornado of paper swirled in the concrete hallway with Zack as its eye. The metal door vibrated as it clanked and bounced back from hitting the brace designed to hold it close and hit the locker next to it. Ken watched as Zack, the boy jaguar, sprinted down hallway and twirled on his left foot in a life saving avoidance of bulldozing 3 girls in his path. No sooner than he had gone around them then he was on his way down the hallway. Ken apologized to the stunned girls, closed Zack's locker and proceeded to follow the speeding bullet outside to the waiting car.

The nail clippings fell onto the floor in a rain of keratin as Zack looked outside mesmerized as the white puffiness of the clouds that blanketed the shuttle's main body as it proceeded towards Harrisburg through the edge of a cloud. The sun reflected off the wing and a rainbow wrapped around the wing in a collage of color.

_Wow, beautiful._

Zack proceeded to stop biting his nails as he saw the beauty of the site outside. His head turned to look at the man seated two rows away from him and his nervousness or dare he say fear, increased multifold as Ken's presence made him want to eat away at his fingertips down to the bones underneath the skin and blood.

He acquired the habit to deal with the many extremely stressful situations he was put through in his young life. He knew the habit was horrid but it dealt with the issue of having built up colossal reserves of nervous energy and finding a way to release them. The restless energy from being around the man prevented him from taking a nap as he waited to see his twin brother for the first time in about 32 months.

The memories of a warm may day arose in his mind and Zack shoved them away for now, not wanting to acknowledge his emotions. He waited as the seconds ticked as his anxiousness and excitement continued to swell inside him as the shuttle continued toward his destination.

The massive crowds of tourists and travelers almost made it impossible for the foursome of Ken with Alexander on his shoulder perch, Zack and a member of Joanna's security contingent to move toward their destination.

"Well it looks like we are almost there," Ken said with anticipation.

Zack did not hear him. His thoughts centered on seeing Cody again. He wondered how much he had changed.

_Is he still the sensitive kid he was when he was younger or is he completely different? Does he still like school too? I just hope Cody is alright. It's been so long. But he's Cody, he has to be alright. I hope… _

The foursome arrived at one of many private rooms in the medium sized airport. Joanna called and said she requested the room for privacy and airport security approved the request.

"How is he?" Ken asked Joanna as the group met up.

"I think he's a little overwhelmed with everything. I think we may have gone too fast with the situation," her voice full of nervousness as she focused on the boy on the other side of the door.

Ken moved closer to his girlfriend and put his hands on her upper arms and looked into her disturbed eyes.

"You think you are the only one who's nervous? So am I. We did this because we felt it would morally wrong to keep them apart. I know tough times are ahead, but I have a feeling if we did not at least attempt to bring them together things would end up far worse."

Joanna bought Ken to the side, away from the others and lowered her voice.

"What if something happens we didn't foresee?"

Ken looked into her slightly darken eyes and realized her worries were justified. Even for all their planning, there was so much they didn't know, so much that could go wrong, and that gave him nightmares.

"Life is about unforeseen circumstances. They can come around and bite you on the butt. How you deal with them tests your faith, whether it be spiritual or your faith in yourself or others. Did you think about the possibility the current situation was here to test us just for that reason?"

Joanna looked down and realized Ken has a point. Maybe he was right. She had a suspicion she would find out stuff about herself she thought she knew. She looked up and smiled when she saw Zack was getting impatient and tapping his foot. Her smile increased when she saw Alexander's tail hitting the back of Ken's head.

Of course, she had more personal experience when it came to Sphinxian treecats than most Star Kingdom citizens. That had something to do with her family. She mentally shook off the thought and refocused.

"I think we better get in there before Zack does something we'll all regret."

The group proceeded through the doorway.

The boy turned around when the sound of the creaking door reached his ears. The cloudy sky blanketed him in blue-gray gloom as he waited for Joanna to come back. His lack of shadow made him more invisible than he was before in his own mind. Between the darkened sky and his clothes, he almost blended into the environment like a chameleon.

And then he saw him.

A little boy, slowly, nervously creeping through the barely open door.

The boy Zack saw the boy had honey-mist auburn hair in worn jeans and a long sleeve shirt.

_He looks small. Almost stunted. He looks nothing like I remember him. His blond hair is gone. The glow in his eyes is gone. There's no smile at all. He looks dead and empty. What happened to him?_

Zack grew angry at the thought of somebody hurting his brother but his sad memory of the night of his kidnapping whiplashed him to the happiness of the current situation.

_But he's alive. That's all that matters. My twin is standing in front of me. Alive. I don't believe it. Thank you God._

Before Zack knew it, his brain ordered his feet carry him to the boy and his arms enveloped him in eleven year old bear hug. A voice told him to stop and but it was ignored as the hysteria of Zack's emotions took over. His senses were cut by the physical embrace of the boy who Zack _knew_ was his brother. His soul told him so and cried out for their connection to be fused and strengthened again.

Zack's cerebrum decided at this time to take over and ordered Zack to cease the constriction of the other boy. He looked into Travis's eyes and saw matching green in them. But something else was covering the majestic shade of his eyes.

Travis's face sewed confusion onto it by the actions of the blond haired boy. His body froze by the sudden contact with another human being. He was not used to being exposed to an action of loving. It was foreign to him. Something from another world, a world long eclipsed by a hidden chasm of time, fear and pain.

The other boy's eyes looked over him. Travis felt naked by the look of those eyes as they searched him for something unknown to him. Travis almost instinctively wanted to hide to avoid the stare but something held him back.

_Why should I be afraid of him? He is just a child like me after all. Maybe hugging is just his way of saying hello? Another child has not hurt me before so I think I will give him a chance._

Befuddlement slowly increased on Zack's face as to his opposite's non-reaction to the enfolding.

"How are you, Cody?" Zack asked full of anticipation.

Travis wondered who he was talking about. His memory brought him back to the argument with Ken at Maggie's house and conflict reigned inside him. A dominate part of his brain took over.

"I am not Cody. My name is Travis."

Zack was stunned to hear the words come out of his mouth but he had to know the truth.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sorry. You must have me confused with someone else."

Zack's heart broke at the confirmation. His hopes crashed at the insight of the boy's identity.

_They were right. They told me it could happen but I did not believe them. I told myself they were lying to me. Is my brother still inside there or is he gone forever?_

The happiness dripped through a strainer with his soul unable to hold it in. More pain layered on top of the sadness as his prospects darkened for a brighter future, even if Cody was at the center of it, it started to fade into nothingness.

His head dropped and Zack tried to bury the tears as they slightly started to takeover. He managed to stop the flow before it started. Zack nodded his head in understanding to Travis.

Ken watched the entire conversation and despaired as he realized what was going on. He tried to stop Zack from hugging Travis but Zack was too fast for him. Now gloom fell on the room as the adults tried to decipher the damage done to Zack as a result of this meeting. Alexander moved his head against the cheek of Ken and crooned, who raised his left hand to calm the treecat down as Alexander realized the change in mood in the room.

Ken saw Travis raise a hand to try to connect and introduce himself fully to Zack. Zack shook it but his voice was drained of life.

Joanna stepped in after this happened.

"Hey guys, how about we have a pizza? It's almost dinner time and I think we are all hungry."

Three stomachs growled in response and Joanna chuckled as the males in the room blushed slightly at the sound of their stomachs voicing their opinion. Joanna proceed to ask for directions for the nearest pizza parlor.

The group stopped at one of the many pizza places at the food court. They sat in a quiet quarter so they could talk if needed and not be disturbed.

_That smell. My mouth is watering from it. I know I have it before but I can't remember when._

Travis sat down at the table next to Zack, who remained slightly despondent after their first meeting.

_I hope he is okay. I did not mean to upset him. Maybe I can make it up to him._

The food arrived and Travis remembered what the smell was.

_Pizza! I haven't had some in forever_.

He almost cried at the glorious smell of greasy pepperoni and cheese and the thick crust beckoning him to eat it. He inhaled a slice in few seconds and proceeded onto a second slice. He made sure to clean the plate of every crumb or part of the pizza, even the crust like there was no tomorrow.

Joanna watched the boy start to work another slice at the same speed as before.

"Travis, hold on for one second," she said with gentleness.

The boy looked at her with shifty eyes. His eyes looked downward as though waiting to hear what he did wrong. He looked the pizza with begging eyes as if it was the last thing to eat on earth.

Joanna sat stunned for a second until she remembered. Travis was malnourished during his kidnapping and realized the problem. Food restriction could have used as punishment by his captors to learn a lesson. Both Ken and Joanna had an issue that could become huge if rules were not set to stabilize Travis's eating habits.

"Travis, you can keep eating the pizza, ok? I just want you to slow down so you don't get sick from eating fast."

"She's right, you know. We can always order a second pie if we get close to finishing the first one." Ken added with a smile. Alexander put in his two cents by flicking his ears and then nodding towards Travis. The boy was still unsure and nervous around Ken and the treecat.

Travis looked between the two adults and one treecat with nervousness in his eyes. Joanna slowly put an additional slice on his plate and pushed it towards the boy, who started to dig in but stopped.

Zack was not eating any pizza. His mind was still recovering from the shock of the current situation and did not even realize the pizza had arrived. He felt a tap on his arm and turned his head.

_It's Cody. No he's calls himself Travis._His soul shook as he thought of this. _What is he doing?_ Zack's eyes cleared and saw that Travis was pushing a plate with pizza on it toward him with a hopeful look on his face Zack's eyes sparkled at the simple kindness the other boy was showing him even though they got off on the wrong foot.

_Maybe there is something inside him that remains of my brother._

"Thanks," Zack said with something close to a smile and Travis smiled back as the group continued to eat their way through the pizza with the aromas of Italian food surrounding them.

"Travis, I have a question?" The group was walking around the shopping center near the airport to waste time and bond.

Travis turned at the tone in Joanna's voice. "Yes?"

"You don't have many clothes with you, am I right?"

The boy looked down at his worn clothing, embarrassed at the state of the cotton clothing he borrowed to wear and nodded sadly.

Ken and Joanna looked at each other.

"It looks like we have to fix that," Joanna said with giddiness.

"Oh no," Ken murmured as he realized the tone in his girlfriend that every guy feared: the I must go shopping tone. He looked at his wrist communicator or wristcom which doubled as a watch and wondered how long she was going to take.

Joanna gave Ken a look of death, who immediately cowered. Joanna looked toward Travis. Alexander was amused at the woman's look toward his person.

"Let's get you a new look, so we?" Joanna dashed to the nearest department store. Travis's mouth dropped at the generosity of the woman. He never expected anyone to just randomly buy him clothes after only knowing him for such a short time. A spurt of wonder reached his insides at the reasoning for the woman's attitude towards him. Travis, filled with excitement and maybe some fear, followed Joanna into the store and the rest of the group followed close behind.

"Look Zack at the robot dinosaur on the shelf. It's so cool" Travis's glee rang through the toy section he dragged Zack to see the Robosapian on the shelf.

"Travis calm down, you don't have to drag me. I can walk you know!" The annoyance in Zack voice only surface deep as he grinned and did not even drag his feet as Travis's hand gripped onto his arm to see the newest toy to catch the boy's eye.

Ken and Joanna watched with misty-eyed expressions as they observed Travis darting between the aisles to Lego's, Monopoly, remote control cars, and Paper Jamz.

"Well at least he's opened up slightly," Ken said happily.

"Indeed," Joanna answered mysteriously. Her tone caught Ken's attention.

"What's up?" Ken asked sensing something was brothering her.

"Look Zack! A slinky. So cool!" Travis's high pitched voice reached Ken's ears and both he and Alexander both grimaced but decide not to temper the boy's happiness even if it did annoy other shoppers in the store. The group had received glares from several people and store employees but decided to ignore them or shrug their shoulders with 'oh well' looks for added effect.

Joanna looked at him and received a questioning raise of an eyebrow.

"You don't think Travis is overreacting to such a simple thing as looking at toys, do you?"

Ken thought about the question and his mind went through the thought chain and sadness engulfed his face in response to his answer. He sighed and answered.

"You're thinking about the possibility the boy was kept under lock and key except for school for almost two years and had no freedoms or control of his life whatsoever, aren't you?"

"Of course. Unfortunately it's only reasonable to be under such a situation with a kidnapper and his victim," Joanna replied dismayed. Ken agreed and watched as Zack stood and observed Travis play with a toy meant for younger children with melancholy in his eyes underneath the smile on his face.

_This is going to be harder than we thought_, Ken reflected. _It looks like we are going to have to take it nice and slowly possibly and maybe allow Zack to lend a huge hand in the effort. After all, it seems like there was a connection made even through it was not the one Zack wanted in the first place._

Ken looked at his wristcom and realized it was almost seven pm. It would take approximately two hours to get back and they needed to get the boys home at a reasonable time. This meant cutting Travis's enjoyment short, which Ken hated.

"Zack, C…Travis, we have to go now."

The boys did not notice Ken's slip up and looked at each other sadly. Travis slowly put the toy back in the basket and walked toward the two adults with his eyes pointed toward the ground.

"Why don't you pick out several things to take back to the hotel, Travis? You too Zack."

The boys' heads sprung up to look at Joanna, hoping the words they heard from her were real. The woman nodded and the boy slingshotted through the toys, games, and books sections. They returned with a Mount Everest size pile, which they added to the two carts full of cotton clothing and footwear and other odds and ends already in the carts. Zack added posters and a new set of sports equipment to the mess.

"Honey, what about this?" Ken pointed towards the ten in one game table on the shelf. The boys' eyes glowed at the phenomenon of child entertainment. Their hopes chilled when they looked at the price tag, realizing they was no chance at getting it.

"Fine, I have no problem with it but I am not lifting it onto the shuttle." Joanna responded.

"Obviously. That's why we have hired help, security and store employees to help with the heavy lifting."

The smirk on Ken's lips widen as he looked at the five security standing around Joanna trying to watch for threats while trying to maintain invisibility. All five glared him with as much professional dignity as possible while maintaining their watch. Alexander's eyes glittered with amusement at the grudge match of pride between the humans from Ken's left shoulder. Joanna intervened before it got ugly.

"That's enough. We don't want blood on the floors in front of the children. Would you act civil with each other for once?" All humor was almost overwhelmed by the command authority in her tone. The five armed guards immediately listened to her and went back to their duties.

"Sorry, hon. Sometimes I just can't help myself."

"There's a time and place for everything and this is neither for that sort of immaturity. Would you act your age, please?" The exasperation in her voice could have painted the ceilings of the store.

The group proceeded to the front of the store with their haul. The noise of children running through the aisles, parents trying to control them while arguing over sizes and prices almost hummed around the group as they try to review what happened that day. Zack and Travis look at each other with worry, unwilling and unable to break the silence between the two caregivers.

"I'm sorry about earlier. You are right. I sometimes act in ways I shouldn't." Ken's voice shattered the silence and his hand proceeds to connect with Joanna as they walked toward the front of the store to pay the bills.

"I know you are, but picking on the security is not the way to have a joke, especially in a public place when they trying to do their job." Joanna voice rippled over Ken, covering him in mezzo soprano voice tones.

Joanna looked into his eyes and saw total sincerity in them. Ken turned around and focused on the security detachment.

"I'm sorry about making fun of you… It's just that you're such a tempting target. I personally don't like be surrounded by security with guns. It makes feels cut off and limited." A clearing of a throat made him go faster.

"Anyway"… Ken's eyes swiveled to Joanna, who had a "move it" look on her face. "I will try and be more kind in the future."

"Better?"

The man's head turned toward his girlfriend, who nodded. Zack and Travis released a breath they did not know they had been holding and the volume went up around the, as their knots of worry were loosened. The group paid and walked out of the store into the night.

The darkness and the moon collided inside the shuttle as Ken and Joanna watched Zack and Travis sleep on their way towards Boston and Travis's new home.

The moonlight paled the boys' face as they slept in seats next to each other with their heads barely inches away from each other. Memories of the day flashed through their minds as they moved to get comfortable and slowly fell into a restful sleep too tired to care about threats in their world.

Ken remembered Travis's reaction to the shuttle: His eyes bugged out and his jaw fell to the floor as he tried and failed to contemplate the changes in his life. He froze until Zack jerked his head toward the shuttle and both proceeded to help get Travis's new life started.

Joanna covered them both boys with the blankets as the couple started to settle down themselves. Joanna saw a half opened book on Travis's lap with the cover shining in the moonlight while its pages were split onto both of the boy's legs.

_Hm. A wrinkle in time. Well at least he likes to read._

She placed a bookmark in the page and placed the book in a bag among Travis's other things.

Joanna sat down next to Ken on a sofa like chair. The moonlight revealed the stresses on both of them as the day wore on. The waitresses gave them the drinks they ordered and sighed as they looked at their additional responsibilities. Ken started to massage her shoulders in order to reduce the stress. Joanna smiled in thanks but her mind turned to other worries.

"Can we talk?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Always."

"Moseby called me today while I was waiting for you and said there were mysterious events around the hotel with stuff being moved and broken and wondered if we knew anything about it?"

Ken looked at her and Joanna continued.

"I told we knew nothing of any incidents but we would keep an eye out on things around us but that's not the only thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"I was reading over Zack's file and specifically his academic and social history and something bothered me. I went through the way back before his parents died and it looks as through Zack has had issues in school."

"What issues?"

"He had difficulty studying or paying attention in class, always being disruptive or acting out in front of the teacher. He would lose his worksheets or textbooks before class."

Ken's hands stopped moving and looked toward Zack, who moved in his seat.

"Most kids that age have difficulty in paying attention in one thing or another. Some kids are just hard to control sometimes. Maybe he just did not like school. For a while, I hated school too until I turned around."

"I know that. It's just that I wonder if something is wrong with him? I mean seriously wrong. What if we get him checked out? "

"If you're sure about this, we can get Zack checked out as soon as things settle down. For all we know, it was just a phase he went through. How about that?"

"Thanks and hopefully I am wrong."

The two lovebirds relaxed as the moon's glare continued to bathe the cabin as the shuttle continued into the black night.

**Please read and review. If you have any questions regarding the story, you can PM me.**

**I am sad that the Suite Life series is over since I have watched it since early in the second season at the hotel. Ah memories. Hopefully I will be find shows that I can enjoy and explore. Oh well. There are almost endless possibilities to explore through fanfiction, which I intend to for a while.** **I should have the next chapter up within a few days.**


	10. Beginnings and reveals

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Suite Life Series or the Honor Harrington Universe. I do own Ken and Alexander, Tom Connelly and the armsmen.**

**I like to thank Tiger002 for betaing the chapter.**

**Sorry for taking two months on this chapter and the next. They were originally one chapter but were split into shorter chapters to read and review.**

**I had my job search going on, I was working double shifts at work that were making me tired, I also had an issue with getting into the proper writing mindset and I found myself lost in the electronic advanced readers copy of the newest Honor Harrington Universe related novel. Pretty much I was doomed to not get this done anywhere near on time. The second chapter will be posted in a short time. Thanks to the readers and reviewers for the story so far. Your support and comments had been appreciated.**

* * *

The cold air froze over the outside of the windows as two forms slept in beds mere feet away from each other. The light blue empty walls that surrounded them blanketed the two forms in soft refracted beams as the solar sunburst penetrated the sleepy domain.

The stillness was broken as auburn hair shuffled in one of the beds. Dark green eyes opened in wonder and confusion as the boy's eyes blinked away the sleepiness. They darted this way and that in their semi-new environment and tried to put new details together as the current situation ran though in his mind.

_How did I end up here?_

The boy known as Travis moved his legs out from under the thick comforter. The movement caused leg sized waves as the limbs were slowly exposed to the frigid cold of a New England winter somewhat negated by the heat rippling into the room.

His eyes captured Zack's body locked in mortal combat with the anaconda comforter with his limbs partially pinned. Travis smiled at the sight of the other boy's bizarre sleeping position.

_How does he sleep like that?_

The previous day's memories rushed back into his recollection. The 10 in1 sports table sat still in its box against the wall next to Travis's bed waiting to create new chaotic memories of laughter. Bags of clothes still with the tags on were scattered near the closet in the room like crinkly snow on the floor. The group was so tired last night they decided to skip the put away process until the next day and went to sleep.

Travis looked at the clothes he was wearing, nervous of changing in front of Zack even though Zack did not appear bothered by it the night before. Zack acted like it was normal to walk around in front of Travis only in his boxers and a T-shirt. Their relationship and attitude with each other so far, at first cautious but at least it was not tense. Just two boys trying to relate to each other in their shared living space. In the end, his roommate's quirks were something to be dealt with as time rolled on. He hoped no pain would impact on him or Zack as a result of either of their actions.

Travis sat back on the bed and looked at the room's walls, which were scantly covered with a few posters of athletes and bands on Zack's side while Travis's side was bare. The auburn haired child thought he was not supposed to put things on the walls since he owned nothing. He looked at the sleeping form and wondered how Zack got so lucky to live where he did and wondered what he should do next.

* * *

The sizzling oil in the frying pan punctuated the stillness in the kitchen as Ken read the Boston Globe. The pink sausage was slowly turning brown to join the morning sun in taking back the morning from the night.

"So far so good." Ken said to Joanna, who was watching the eggs cook.

"Yes, at least, both boys got off to a good start. Do you see when Cody, I mean Travis handed the slice of pizza to Zack?" Joanna asked with a smile.

"Yeah." Ken matched her smile. "There's at least hope for us since there's a part of Cody's personality somewhere in there." I tried to concise this sentence to make it flow better.

Ken frowned as he thought of a terrible alternative.

"I am happy for one thing though. We did not find Zack's twin dead in an alleyway somewhere. That would have been the worst thing to happen."

Joanna silently nodded and looked at the time.

"Well it's almost 9:30. I am going to check on the boys to see if they are up. After breakfast, we have to talk to them. Just watch the food for me and try not to burn anything." Joanna walked toward the boys' bedroom.

"Are you sure you can trust me with this painfully hard job of watching eggs and sausages and prevent them from burning black as night? A guy who has depended on mess hall food for the most part since he was 18 years old." Ken started to have a smile but Joanna chuckled at him.

"Please dont tell you dont know how to cook or do laundry. Even without modern technology it should not be issue. That's so 20th century. Unless of course you are down to two brain cells through all the fighting in the past two and half decades in the Queen's Navy. If that's true, then you are not the man I met so long ago. Heck I had hired help since I was born and I can at least cook normal food in order to survive." Joanna's smile turned to steel as she looked at her boyfriend.

"Ouch, the sword is all the way into my side already. Still the hired help trained you and allowed you to do trial and error in order to improve. But I can thankful we don't have to worry about doing take out every night and die at a ripe young age of 150 or so."

"Just watch the food" Joanna snapped back.

"Aye, aye ma'am" Ken answered with a respectful tone and half-saluted Joanna as he watched her open the door.

* * *

Travis had not moved from the bed and overheard the noise from the living room and grew worried with the voices as one sounded like it was outside the door. His eyes narrowed when he heard a knock and the door opened and saw Joanna.

"Oh you are awake. I was wondering about you." Joanna looked at him and saw Travis was still wearing yesterday's clothes.

"You must have been tired. Why don't you get dressed? Breakfast is almost done."

Travis did not move a muscle but he saw the woman's eyes soften.

"What's wrong?" she asked and Travis just shrugged his shoulders.

Joanna proceeded to comb through the bags of clothes and laid a set of clothes on Travis's bed. The boy slowly picked them up and looked at Zack's sleeping form. Joanna saw where his gaze was centered on and was way ahead of him.

"Don't worry about Zack. He sleeps like the dead on the weekends." A smile crept onto her face. "We never seem to get him up. I have a feeling many people have tried and failed in the effort to wake him from his hibernation. Like any bear, I mean boy, he'll wake up when he smells food."

Travis's mood lightened at this, unsure of the reason. But whatever the reason, he felt his nervous fade away and watched as Joanna left the room and left him to his devices.

* * *

Zack woke up of course. 15 minutes later when the fumes of the eggs, sausage and toast filtered into the boy's room. He came dressed and the group rushed through breakfast. By the time they were done, all that left was the egg yolk and crumbs on their plates. Even Alexander cleaned his plate of food while the boys sat amazed while the treecat surgically cleaned the chicken along with all the vegetables set before him with his two forelimbs.

Plates were cleared away and the table got quiet again as the two adults motioned the two boys to stay. The children exchanged curious and nervous looks as they waited for something to happen.

It all started with a simple enough beginning.

"Zack has heard most of this already from us but it's good for a refresher for all of us so everything is on the table. If you have any questions or worries about anything, you can ask them anytime right now. First things first: You can call us what you like as long as it's not something like jerkface or something. I figure Ken and Joanna would work best for the moment. If that's all right, Travis?"

The boy offered no rebuttal to Ken's comment. Alexander laid down on the wide back of Ken's chair and his head and green eyes looking squarely at Travis.

Travis looked worried and raised a hand. Joanna smiled and nodded at him. His eyes darted back and forth for a second and his hands wringed themselves for a second and then he finally looked up at the adults.

"What about school? I want to do good in it."

"I'm glad you asked that question, Travis." Ken's warm tone and smile reached to Travis and the boy failed to grasp it willingly or otherwise. "That was going to our next topic."

Both Zack's and Travis's eyes darted to Ken's face as he continued. "I have already called the school and asked if Travis can be placed in the same classes as Zack. His grades transferred from his old school already. If the request goes through, this will allow the two of you to help each other with homework and help Travis's transition to his new school not be so dramatic. Besides it makes it easier on all of us so we can combine meetings at the school if necessary with your teachers. Also you will do homework the second you get home school."

Ken looked at Zack. "I presume you have no issues with any of this, right?" Zack looked at him and shook his head surely and his eyes zipped over to the boy next to him. Zack's mouth opened as if to say something but closed it just as quickly.

"Now we are here to help with any problems with your homework. Of course, we won't do the work for you but we can help with any difficulties you might have." Joanna soft tone cut through the quiet. "Both Ken and I are focused on your education because the Star Kingdom has enveloped us with a intense passion for it and we intend to make sure you have the best chance at a full and successful life and an education is the major way to do it. In addition, at least one of us will be always be here when you get home."

"What about stuff for school? I don't have anything."

"That should not be an issue. We have a storage closet in our room that has 10 of everything from backpacks and first aid supplies to socks, toothbrushes, combs and shampoo." Ken added. "We can never run out on those things."

Joanna got up and proceeded to hers and Ken's room and walked back out. "Here, this is for you." She handed Travis a backpack "It has everything you need. Notebooks, writing utensils, folders and everything else a student needs. If we missed anything, just ask and we will get it for you.

"Thank you. But… what happens if…we mess up or cause… problems?" Travis's voice was quiet but shaken, barely audible to everybody in the room.

* * *

The adults and one treecat detected the unsaid fear in Travis's crackling vocal cords but refused to mention it. Only light speed looks between each other gave any evidence of their notice.

Ken started to say something then stopped. He regathered himself and looked toward the boy who has been through so much.

_We were afraid of this. He's barely containing his fear. Well, we can't leave him hanging. That would just add more stress to him and he already has enough on his diminutive shoulders._

Ken gave a last look to Joanna who squeezed his hand and tried to eliminate the jittery boy's mistrust.

"Well first of all, we will never hit you. Ever." Ken saw both boys tense up at this. His eyebrows raised themselves at what else he saw in their reactions.

_Wait, did Zack's right arm move toward Travis? Travis moved like he was shocked. His eyes moved too. Toward Zack perhaps? I wonder_?..._Maybe there's something there?_

His voice went on as though on auto pilot while he watched Travis settle down.

"It would hurt us both of us just as much as you if we did such a thing."_Though I highly doubt it from the stuff I have seen during my life. He and Zack would be destroyed if we did that to them._

"Life, and growing up is especially difficult anyways without having to be afraid in the place where you are supposed to be safest." Ken's voice lost its strength as he finished.

An increase in pressure on his hand refocused his mind on the situation. _Man, Joanna has a grip. _A sense of love and support came over him as he felt Alexander's nose brush against the side of his face. _Things could much worse than they are now, I suppose. I could be in hell instead. Oh wait, I've already seen that already in my life._

* * *

The conversation continued with Ken and Joanna stating the boys would have chores around the suite like keeping their room clean among other things. Both adults told them if anything happened that would affect them in any way, they would ask for their input on it since it would affect them as well.

"Oh last couple things." Ken's echoed through the suite. "All I will say is that is either of you can tell us about anything from your past if you feel the need to. We will be open and not judge you on it. Understand? We are here to support and care for you and that includes being your sounding board when the stress of life becomes too big for you to handle. "

"Also we want you to be honest with us, if there's something you need, ask us." Joanna said. "We do not have any issues trying to make feel comfortable here. Especially you Travis." The boy's looked at her curiously as Joanna continued. "We realize the situation you are in is not perfect, however under the circumstances, we are dealing with it with the best of intentions. If there's something you need to feel more at home, just ask. This includes you too Zack. I know you have been here a while but having another child around does not make things easy on you. If there's something you need to say, don't stay silent about it. The sooner we know about it, the sooner we can deal with it and figure out a solution."

"Why don't you give ideas on what you like to do for hobbies or things to see in the city and see if we can plan something for a trip to do something different every once in while," Ken told the boys.

Travis raised his hand "I'm not very good at sports."

"That's ok. It's does not have to be all about sports. It can be museums, historical monuments or even hobbies." Joanna soothed the boy's worry.

Both adults saw Zack's reaction to Travis's comment. They saw the anxiety for a brief second before it was gone and looked at each other with worry

"Is there anything you guys want to talk about now?"

A low sound was heard and Ken looks around and sees Travis looking downward.

"Something you wish to say Travis?" The boy incrementally moves his eyes toward Ken and gives the smallest of nods. Ken smiles and encourages the boy to go on.

"Um", Travis's voice is shaky looking at Ken, "what about the clothes, blankets and stuff?"

Ken looks at the boy, his gentle face hiding his true feelings but his eyes told another story. He sighs and his voice was the only calm thing in his entire being.

"Travis, all we give is yours as long as you live here. We will never take them away from you. We can only give you more if you need it." Ken stops for a second and realizes something.

"As for the hotel, the staff knows you are here and will treat you like any guest of the hotel with respect. I request that you do the same thing for them. I have one request. Just please don't be causing chaos in the lobby, the hotel manager does not like that. The first time I came into the hotel, I caused a major ruckus that surely aged him 20 years. I had this train of people following me around. I was my own train and caboose. It was really ridiculous if you could have seen it. Moseby was not happy."

Ken could have sworn he saw a shadow of a smirk on Zack's face at that comment.

Joanna cut in and mentioned an allowance to Travis whose head shot up when Joanna announced it. She said besides the stipend from the state for being in the foster system, he would be given money for lunch as well as extra spending money for things he wanted. Ken added something to the point.

"I grew up at the lower end of the financial totem pole as the child so that has affected me to this day. I had to scratch and claw my way up to where I am now. That's the reason for the allowance. Besides I figured it would teach you some responsibility by learning to spend wisely since there would be a limit to the allowance. That money has to last for lunch for the week at least. If you want anything, save for it, since we would be willing to pay for some of it if you willing to as well."

* * *

The room was quiet for a few precious seconds. A throat clearing punctuated the silence.

All the males in the room centered their attention on the only woman.

"There is one other topic we want to talk to about…. Me."

Curious looks appeared on the boy's faces as the topic appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah, what are you doing, love?" Ken's voice filled with anxiety.

"I am going to tell them about myself and I mean all of it."

"All of it?" Distress filled the air as Ken rose out of his seat, staggering and barely hanging onto the chair. Alexander grabbed onto the padded back of the chair to brace himself while hissing at Ken.

"Yes all of it. Sit down and calm down and I will explain. You are scaring them." Joanna's face stopped Ken.

_I guess I have inherited the family ways after all. The look and attitude included._Joanna mused as she looked at her boyfriend slowly sit back down and apologize to the boys who were stunned at the sudden turn of events. She turned her head and saw Alice Powe and Ronald Cummings appear by the open door behind them. The two members had looks of concentration on their faces while their eyes did a quick search of the room on their faces. Finally they looked at Joanna questioningly.

"Everything's alright. Actually this is good timing for you to come in, Lieutenant, Sergeant. I need to explain you as well." The two armsmen nodded and took flanking positions in front of the wall behind their primary charge and responsibility.

_Well, I guess it's time to raise the curtain and allow to see who I truly am. The only thing I can do is tell them and hope for the best. Maybe they will get over the shock. Time to take the mask off for them._

"The reason why I am telling you everything right now is a matter of trust. I know that any relationship we are going to have to built on it and if I lied to you about who I am, any trust created between us would be undeserved. The trust would evaporate the instant the lie was discovered and the relationship would be shattered into pieces."

Both boys said nothing but waited for her to continue.

"Joanna, I know you are going to tell them anyway and I understand why but I wish you could wait a little while longer only to have things crystallize between of all of us." Ken's voice leaked understanding while at the same time, still recovering from the state of affairs.

"I thank you for understanding me Ken but I think the longer we wait the more difficult this could be in the long run. Better to tell it now then later and have the boys wonder why we did not trust earlier to tell them." Joanna smiled at him and then looked at Zack directly. "Zack… I am sorry I did not tell this earlier but with the way certain events happened, it could not happen." Joanna looked down for a brief second but continued. "I…just was focused on settling into your life and trying to deal with your situation. If as a result, our relationship has been damaged, I hope I have a chance to repair it or have a fresh start."

Zack looked at her and then away for a second or two. Then he looked at her.

"Hm…" Zack's eyes swiveled toward Travis and then back at Joanna. He nodded at Joanna "Ok, I understand. I accept your apology. I would not mind that."

"Good" Joanna smile lit up the room. _At least there's a shot with him._

Remember when I talked to both of you in time and said I was involved in Manticorean politics?

The boys confirmed that and she continued.

"Well that's completely true. My family has been deeply involved the Star Kingdom ever since it founded over 400 years ago." Joanna smirked internally at the boys' bug-eyed reactions to that little number. _Well, wait till they hear the whole story._

"I have grown up with responsibility my entire life whether its socially or personally. I have learned to deal with things I don't like just because of who I am."

"Just who are you then? You are Joanna right?" Zack's squeaky voice asks the obvious. Joanna chuckled lightly at the boy's impatience.

"Yes, in fact I am a member of the House of Winton."

The boys' eyebrows were almost into their hair.

"Isn't that the royal family?" Travis asked, futilely trying to mask his excitement and astonishment.

"Why yes it is, Travis" said Joanna happy to know Travis knew that. "It so happens that I happen to be the oldest daughter of Queen Elizabeth III and second in line for the throne."

* * *

**Well what a way to end the chapter, eh ? Feel free to tell your thoughts and feelings. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to PM me.**


	11. Memories and Hopes

**Here is 2****nd**** part of the chapter of the double chapter posting. **

**Thanks for Tiger002 for betaing the chapter. **

**As always I own nothing from the Suite and Honor Harrington Series. But I own Alexander, Ken, and, Tom Connelly and the armsmen.**

What seemed like an eternity to the adults which in reality was only a few minutes was over as their foster children slowly came out of the daze the adults' surprise threw head first into.

It was Zack who spoke first.

"You saying your mother is the Queen of the Star Kingdom of Manticore?"

"Yes" Joanna said patiently.

"The big kahuna, the sovereign, the big cheese, the end be all, the off with her head'?"

"Em…Wow. I can certainly say she has never been described that way before." Ken cackled but tried to cover it up. Joanna looked at him.

"Oh come on, the kid has a great sense of humor. I can say I've never heard the Crown described like that by anyone. But seriously don't use those descriptions of in front of officials or there might be some interesting discussions and consequences." Ken pointed out to the two armsmen to Zack who were standing behind Joanna with stony expressions. Zack nodded.

Travis regained his composure. "Who are they?" he asked pointing to Alice and Ron.

"Lt. Powe-Alice and Sgt. Cummings-Ron are part of the Queen's Own Battalion. They are an Army unit specifically assigned the task of protecting members of the royal family especially people in the line of succession like myself. They usually wear blood red uniforms but that makes them stick out so they wear civilian clothes to make it less obvious." Joanna heard a snort from the direction of Ken but ignored it. They are armed at all times since the Manticoran constitution gives them the right to do so and is part of their jobs and they have diplomatic immunity as well.

"What do you call you, Your Highness?" Travis asked with awe.

"No, nothing of the sort. Joanna is fine. I realize it will take some time for both of you to digest this. But do realize my status as a princess does not affect my care of you in any way. I just have one request for you and that is to keep it to yourself exactly who I am. I realize this creates a burden but if the press finds out I am here, it would make our lives here difficult. I'm sorry for any issues this causes you."

Both boys said they understood and Joanna thanked them.

"Why did you become a foster parent, anyway, when you are already have everything?" Zack inquired determinedly.

"Actually Ken was the one who first wanted to become a foster parent but eventually he turned me onto the idea and I decided for myself that why should I have everything when some have nothing. Even if it's just a safe place to sleep for a while or warm clothes on their back, it's better than some children have had before they get here. Maybe we can give them a fresh start after a tough life or at least let them know there's someone who cares for them."

"My intentions were more personal in some respects." Ken said to the boys. "I have seen and experienced things in my complicated life that would amaze and probably horrify people. The Queen's Navy actually gave me a path for a better life. Even I have no noble blood in me, I have seen what curveballs and pitfalls life can throw at you. I decided that being a child in all that is the worst thing to be because you tend to get lost in the shuffle of things. I figure if I can help one or two children at a time with focused help, the better chance they have a successful life. I…I mean we have every intention of starting out with you two if you don't mind."

Travis was sitting on one of the couches in the living room portion of the suite while everybody else was at the kitchen table playing games.

"Ok, Mr Mitchell dude, what's wild?" a female voice asked Ken.

For the final time, 'Ms. Montgomery', you can call me Ken if you want to. Nothing's wild Max. What's up with you doing that?

"Oh I don't know." Her expression trying to portray innocence.

"I think she just wants to see how you go until you react" inputs Joanna who is watching the game from the far end of the table.

"Hm" was Ken's sole reaction as the sounds of cards slapping against skin and table ringed throughout the room.

"No cheating," said Joanna to Ken.

"What?" Ken's serene face reflects back to her.

"No using Alexander to see their cards" Ken's face falls into mock disgust as he refutes her claim.

"How dare you destroy my sensibilities with such slander." Alexander bleeked from his "accidental" position located on the back of Max's chair. From there he had clear view of everybody's cards in front of him.

"One peep out of you and you become a matching pair of treecat slippers and a handbag" Joanna said to the hexapedal creature, who just chattered at her.

"Alright Alexander, we're caught. No cheating understand?" The treecat gave an unmistakable nod and slithered down to a chair at the table.

The sounds of the game and banter barely reached Travis as he sat thinking.

_It looks like I will be here awhile_. Saddness rained on his thoughts as he thought of what he lost recently. _I only wished they let me go back home to where I belong. To my father. But I can't run away back to him. I'm so far away and he's in prison. It's all my fault_.

_It only I was not such a problem for him then he would gotten a better job and we would have been okay_

He remembered the state of his rags when he lived with his father.

Shivering during the chilling winters and being sunburned during the summer.

He remembered the paper-thin blankets and how they were never enough.

How the tips of his fingers went numb during the winter.

How he just tried to survive until the snows thawed.

How his skin peeling after multiple sunburns during the blistering summer days.

How his body was covered with blisters that kept him awake through the sweltering nights.

How he winced in pain as his skin rubbed with the ground, or when he was lucky, the mattress.

How the sunburn mixed with the throbbing pain of his bruises all over him sending a double cocktail of nerve endings on fire with every contact causing tears to run down his cheeks as the air pasted over them.

_I remember my only companions. My sadness and fear and a constant stringing pain._

His mind filtered his memories until others came up.

_Ken and Joanna seem like nice people. Maybe if I am good enough they will see everything is alright and let my dad out of prison._

_But at least there can't be better places to live than here_._It must be nice to live like this all the time_.

_There's the candy counter downstairs with that girl Maddie. She was nice, She even gave me a candy bar when I talked to her. Said it was no charge._

Travis remembered the smooth heavenly taste of the chocolate on his tongue. He almost died when the creamy confection melted in his mouth. He wanted to savor it so badly but it was so good he couldn't. He did not remember the last time he had any. He even licked the leftovers off his fingers to the last drop. He remembered Maddie's smile as she watched him engulf the chocolate.

_I wonder what is going between Maddie and Zack? _He remembered Maddie's smile dimmed slightly as she looked at Zack._I wonder why? Zack just introduced us to each other and seemed to go quiet. He did not even ask for any chocolate._

_The game room was cool. _His memories of lights and sounds bouncing off the walls, forcing his head and eyes in all directions. His laughter ringed into the air as he turned the wheel, pulled the lever, pushed a button or spun a dial. The sound of plastic on rubber as the hockey puck hit the sides of the air hockey table triumphed the day as the boys played a best of 5 with Zack winning 3 games, the boys laughing and whooping it up as each point was scored. Travis never felt so alive. He looked into Zack's eyes and saw matching ecstasy. He never wanted to leave but eventually he had to leave the cornucopia of visual and audio stimulation.

They arrived back at the suite only to be interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Max and two other guys.

He remembered looks of shock on their faces as they stood in the doorway until Zack yelled for them to come in. The introductions were efficient with names being exchanged.

_Max seems nice, She does not seems all girly and stuff. She's tough too. I am not used to dealing with girls like her._

_Tapeworm's okay, but what an odd name. His hair goes everywhere. _Travis realized what he was thinking and became depressed. _I'm not one to judge people. For all I know he could be much better than me in school._

_I am not so sure about Tom. We barely went beyond hello. It looks like Zack gets along with him. So maybe if I am nice, they might allow me to become friends with them. Then I could actually have friends at school. That would be so cool! _

"I'm out" Travis heard Zack's voice and turned around in the chair. He watched as Zack tossed his hand into the center of the table.

Zack's head rose up and the boys' eyes connected. A small smile touched Zack's lips as he looked at Travis but disappeared just as quickly.

_Why did he do it?_

_Why did he put his hand on my wrist like that? It felt weird but good for some reason._

_I remember being scared again like I was with dad when Ken started to talk about discipline. _He had to stop himself from touching where some of his bruises used to be.

_For some reason, I felt something when he touched me. Not like the pain and fear from before. Relief? Warmth? Safety? It was like his touch allowed to breathe normally. Maybe Zack is different. Is it right to feel this way about someone I just met?_

Guilt streamed into his consciousness at the happiness he experienced as he arrived in the building.

_I wonder how daddy would feel if he saw me now?_A few tears started rolling down his cheeks as he thought of this.

"Hey Travis, do you want to play a round?"

Tapeworm saw Travis move his arm in front of his face and then turn around with a weird look on his face.

"I don't how to play."

Tapeworm answered him. "That's not a problem. I show you how to play. It's really not that hard. Poker is really just a matter of having a certain combination of cards and hoping yours beats everybody else's."

"And there's no money involved at all." Joanna said out loud with a serious tone as her eyes focused on everyone at the table. "If I see one penny on the table, the game is stopped immediately"

Agreements flew around the table.

Travis came up to the table and sat down next to Zack, who smirked at him. Hands were given out and the game was started. Tapeworm started Travis off by organizing his hand and telling about possible hands he could have. This distracted him for a few seconds but then something Tom asked Ken caught his ear.

"Can I ask you when you got adopted by a treecat?" The man's hand stopped for a split second while he was drawing cards from the deck that was sitting in front of Joanna.

"It's really not much to tell. I was paying a visit to Sphinx, the planet in the Star Kingdom where the treecats are originally from. It was on one of the very long winter days." Ken chuckled. "Of course when a planet's year is about 5 times the length of this planet's year, all the winter seem long. Anyway I was working with one of Sphinxian Forestry Service rangers who in charge of protecting the treecats. They're a protected species. All 12 million of them by the Ninth Amendment of the Constitution."

Ken waited to proceed while the rest of the players threw away and drew new cards. Travis was having difficulty figuring which ones to throw out but made his decision.

"Both of us were armed of course since today, a pretty good amount of Sphinx is still virgin wilderness even 400 years after it was settled. There are predators lurking around every corner that would gladly kill a human for dinner if given the opportunity. The ranger of course was already adopted by a female which was dappled brown and white."

"Are all the males like Alexander with cream and gray while the females are brown and white?"

Ken looked toward Max who asked the question. "Yes"

"Now we were taking a break and ready to head toward the craft that bought us to the area when we ran a situation where a treecat was injured and we brought him back to the way station. Alexander was one of the treecat watching over the injured treecat when we arrived on the scene. We healed the injured cat back to health and brought the creature back to where we found him. We were leaving when I heard a loud bleek. I turned around and by the time I was able to clear my head, was able to understand was going on, and looked down, I had a purring cat in my hands. Since that time, the furball has never left my side unless it was some reason he agreed to." Ken raised his hand to the treecat on his shoulders and caressed his head while the treecat leaned into the touch.

"That was an amazing story" said Tapeworm. "I looked at some of the numbers of the adopted humans and they don't seem very high."

Ken answered, "That's true. There's maybe a several hundred of us and that's it." Tapeworm seemed stunned by this and only nodded.

"I have a question." Ken looked the speaker, Travis.

"Go on."

"I was wondering about times when we can go other people's houses and stuff, if we are allowed?"

"You are Travis. As long as you tell where you going before hand and take your cell phone with you. Although I suspect you should not have an issue making friends now."

"What do you mean?" Travis was totally confused.

"He means about us." Max responded smiling as through it was obvious. "You think we are going to leave you out of this. Come on, we are not that evil. I mean you live in the same room as Zack so you have three friends already, deal?"

Travis's voice broke as he looked at the fellow preteens around the table and lowered his head.

"Thanks."

All were looking at their last hands of the game. Ken wore a grin while Tom was calm but Travis clearly had no poker face as he practically begging to show his hand and kill the suspense.

"Well let's see. Travis, why don't you go first."

The foster child put forward his hand and revealed a hand of all hearts, a flush.

"Not bad for a first time." Ken said with a smile. Travis smiled uneasily.

"But I top that with a Full House. I think I win." Ken grins to the group, whose looks vary from normal to annoyance. Except one.

Tom.

"Not so fast" Tom's face held a slowly widening smile. No not a smile. A sunbeam that outshone any smile before. A smile that obliterated Ken's look with a cannon ball to Ken's wooden walls. Splinters strewn about in an unfixable display.

"The hand is mine. In your honor, good sir. A royal flush."

Ken's chin dropped through the floor frozen by the turn of events. Tectonic shaking laughter enveloped the suite as even Joanna was almost rolling on the floor. Ken's face was a patch work quilt of pale and red from the shock and embarrassment of the event. Ken regained what dignity he had left and quietly waited until the ruckus died to say something, drumming fingers on the table the only non-hysterical sound in the room all the while.

"Well it looks you beat me, Tom." Ken's hand crossed over to Tom who shook it. "Next time, then?"

"Hope so" That smile was still etched on Tom's face, who sat down.

"Tom Connelly, stop acting like you won the world" Max called out to him. "It's only a card game."

Ken shared a look with Joanna as they listened to the kids. Her face was passive, a face created by years of toiling with politicians of every stature and stripe. However, he recognized in her eyes that she shared the same reaction he did to the newest piece of information of Tom's last name.

A name both recognized due to the consequences of having courage and facing the wrath of those who opposed its moral fiber.

_I wonder…_thought Ken_. Could he be him or related to her? I mean it's a very common last name. I don't know. Still it could be provide some stimulating situations if true_…

Ken's mind ticked away at the possibilities toiling in his mind at this possible variable in the equation of his life and thought about how much has changed and how much more could change.

"Yeah but how many times will a kid win against an adult?" countered Tom.

Max shook her head. "Boys…" She looks around to Tapeworm, who had his crossed in front of him but had enjoyment all over his facial features.

"What's so funny, Tape?" Max was confused if he was amused by the Tom's exaggerated rejoinder at the end of the game or by Ken's reaction when he lost.

"The fact is Tom won over a guy that due to the prolong treatments is definitely much older then he appears and that even makes it more funny."

Travis tried to listen to his poker teacher without appearing overly nosy, but Ken caught him in the act.

"Just how old do you think I am? Travis? Zack?"

The boys looked at each other for a second and Zack answered

"Ah, I don't know? 30?"

"For your information I am 45 years old. I may look like I am in college or early twenties but that's far from the truth, Zack." Ken's eyes circled the table and had everybody's attention and surprise surfaced on the foster children at the table.

Joanna's voice quickly caught their attention as well.

"It's true. I am only 40 years old myself…"She was cut off by Max.

"But you look younger than Ken does. You look like you just graduated high school."

"High levels of stress tend to make look oneself older then he is. A military career for example. "

"Hold on, I'm lost again. What's prolong again?" Zack asked.

"Me too?" seconded Travis.

"In simplest terms, prolong or the prolong treatments are genetic treatments that delay or freeze aging and as a result, our life span is extended" Ken answered. "Pretty much the treatments turn off the genes in your DNA responsible for aging a person."

"That sounds weird," Zack said with a shiver.

"Relax, you will be knocked out at a medical center during the series of treatment needed. However they tend to kick your butt and leave you exhausted for a while. Of course being able to live for a couple hundred years allows a lot of time to get over it" Ken said with a smile. He continued. "It's been around for several decades or so. The oldest form of the treatment allows you to live until 150 or so and you look like in your mid-forties while the second generation is supposed to allow you to live until 200 and like you are your thirties most of your life . Finally the third and most current generation of prolong, which Joanna and I have, is supposed to allow you live until 250 or so and freeze the aging process somewhere for a very extended period in your twenties. After the freezing stops, you age and die like normal.

"Really? Cool?"Zack said. "When can I get it?"

"Not until you are sixteen or so." Joanna answered him. "There are some consequences that come with the treatments."

"Consequences?"

"Delayed physical development…Puberty for example…" The kids cringed at the mention of the word. But Ken just ignored it. "…or adolescence is stretched out. All those awkward periods are lengthened. Unfortunately, there's no way to correct this because it's just a natural part of growing up. Imagine being 20 or 25 and still growing. Talk about awkward about being short and weak… Ouch!"

Ken was grimacing while Joanna was looking daggers at him. After a second, her face cleared as he looked at her and got the silent message. Joanna then turned to the children and spoke.

"What my boyfriend…" She glared at said target of wrath. "was trying to say was that the self conscious periods in a growing child are extended. That goes for both girls and boys as a matter."

Joanna looked toward Max and smiled in sympathy and nods for her to follow her. The two females walk toward the opposite side of the suite. "I know I am not your parents Max, but I can tell you Max there will times will everything will go haywire and the prolong treatments make it last longer, but you will get through it." A little blush appeared on the preteen girl's cheeks. "Trust me on this, okay, especially on certain female elements." Max only nodded to this, her whole face now beet red.

The two returned to the table after a few moments where Ken was talking to the guys.

"I don't know how we got to this conversation and I apologize if we happen to embarrass you but we happened to grow up in a society where subjects like this can be openly discussed and not shoved into a dark corner. But all I will say is that the awkwardness will fade with time and you will look back at this time and laugh."

"However, there is one regrettable element of prolong."

"You are talking about the age limitation, right?"

Ken nodded sadly and Tape and Max's eyes lowered into their laps.

"Unfortunately, no one older than about 25 can start the treatments at all. By that age, the body has stopped developed physically growing naturally and aging has already started. By then, it's too late."

Travis looked at the lowered heads of his friends.

"Why are you sad?"

"Because of our parents" Tape said, his voice getting emotional. "When we found out about prolong, we were so excited at the prospects of living that long. But when we were told of the age limitation, we felt like someone kicked us in the stomach, you know. All my older cousins, uncles, and aunts can't get it. I felt so ashamed that I could get and they could not. They told me not to worry but I couldn't help it."

Max just nodded at this. Ken looked at them both.

"I'm sorry for that. It's one of the great tragedies with prolong. It's rare but sometimes we find in certain places in space, lost generations of people who were too old to get it, however, their grandparents had received the earlier version and their children could get it but they could not. I know it might not help much but I can tell you this much: With the help of the medical technology available your parents will live to be over a hundred."

"It doesn't" Max mumbled trying to hide the one tear riding down her cheek. Gloom drowned the room as the Max and Tape contemplated the possibility their parents, aunts and uncle would die old feeble and gray while they would barely look into their twenties.

Travis and Zack were in bed jolted about the events of the day.

"Pretty boring day," Zack said to his roommate.

"Yeah it was," Travis to the shot at humor.

The games pretty much ended after the prolong discussion. Attempts at playing Monopoly failed miserably only to be stopped when the kids realized they not could concentrate and figure what taxes to pay.

A knock on the door and Joanna came in after the boys asked, "What is it?"

"I came to say good night. I was wondering if you needed anything?" Her audience did not say a word.

Clothes were thrown over all over and plastic bags were in pile. Joanna shook her head. In a second the mess was gone. The next…

"I'll clean it up this once but try to make sure you walk around without hurting yourself, please?" the boys nodded. "Thank you."

She proceeded to check the windows and asked them if they were alright and they said they were.

Fingers were about to cut the connection to the current of electicity in the room when she heard a shout.

"Wait!"

Joanna turned around and saw Travis have a strange look on his face.

"Can you keep the light on, please?"

The woman looked at Zack then at Travis. "How about a nightlight and I keep the door open?"

"Okay."

The nightlight was installed and Joanna came back with two small things in her hands.

"They are vanilla candles without actual lit flames. I was going to put them in here to make the room smell better. Also the candles' smell tends to calm you down a lot."_They also help children recover from traumatic situations, so it's a double bonus. Which in Travis's case is a good thing._

The candles were put on the boys' nightstands and Joanna said good night to the boys who buried themselves in their blankets and tried to enter dreamland.

The original draft that combines these two chapters came up to over 9000 words. In the end I split them to make for easier reading. I actually rewrote the last two chapters once or twice to get them right after I thought of some ideas. It did not help that I did not think they were alive, organic or natural enough in my eyes. Certain scenes felt too wooden to me. The creative forces just started flowing and I could not contain them. Think of it as a gift for your suffering. Although I apologize if there's some massive information overload. I like to thank all my reviewers, readers and alerters so far. You have been great. I will try to update quicker from now on. As always please read and review. If you have any questions about the story and the Honor Harrington Universe, you can be PM me.


	12. A Day of School

**Disclaimer: I do not own either the Suite Life or Honor Harrington Series. But I do own ken and Alexander along with both of the teachers.**

**I would like to thank Darkelements10 and Tiger002 for betaing the chapter.**

* * *

The sun shone down on the children as they walked into John Adams Elementary School that Monday morning. The sounds of rubber on concrete, jeans and banter of children clashed with the cold air of the Boston winter morning. Wool hats and down filled jackets scattered themselves among the small fry and preteens anticipating and regretting another day of reading, writing, math equations and science experiments.

A specific group was occupied more than most this day with something entirely natural. Nervousness. Nervousness and maybe a little fear from one auburn haired boy in particular as his eyes went this way and that as his visual radar tried to find his way to his proper location. He was flanked by four others as he thought about his new environment.

_Wow! So many more kids than my old school. I can barely move through the hallway._

A shoulder bumped into Travis who started to fall only to have Zack grabbed his upper arm to keep from falling down. Travis looked back at him only to see Zack nod at him. Travis nodded back him and looked back towards his future.

"So rude. Did not even say he was sorry" Max's voice rang out to the crowd as she looked at Tapeworm and Tom who were trying to stay close to the group. They barely dodged book bags, elbows and even feet to maintain their cohesiveness.

The group arrived at their first class and walked in.

* * *

_Eyes._

_It looks like they are staring into my soul._

Travis thought this as he stood in the front of the class being introduced.

_It's almost like having unblinking vicious owl eyes staring at you until you make a mistake and then they pounce on their prey._

Travis looked around briefly and saw his friends looking at him with looks ranging from blankness to smiles. His nerves lessened at the minuscule symbol of support as he heard the teacher's voice around him. Mrs. Ayers finally released him from his interrogation and he sat down. His seat was next to Zack's. His roommate gave a look of recognition and his glazed expression returned to full power as the class began.

Travis took out what he needed for his class and listened to the teacher start the lesson and started copping down notes.

His mind wondered to his past.

_I remember the leaking pens dripping on my hands as they exploded in my backpack covering my school papers after being thrown. The attempt to sharpen broken pencils because the erasers were still good. Using every inch of loose paper I could find to write notes down for class and being teased about it by other students. My book bag having holes in it and stuff always falling out in school and being laughed at for being poor._

_It wasn't my dad's fault for being poor! He was having difficulty finding work and asking for new stuff made things more difficult on him. So I tried to deal with it the best I could. By using everything until I could not use it anymore._

He then thought about how things had changed.

He thought about the backpack which was now hanging in his locker in the hallway, the backpack with all the wonderful shiny new stuff. Though his joy slowly disappeared as he remembered having to change out of his newer clothes the second he got home so he did not ruin them. He was upset at this but he understood clothes cost money, which they did not have.

Travis's hand shot into the air as he was dying to answer a question as she was asking whether fungus was a consumer or a producer.

_I know this. Please pick me! Pleeeeeease!_

A shining smile appeared on his face as he answered it correctly.

* * *

_Why is he still acting like this?_

_Why is Travis…. I mean Cody acting like he does not know me_.

Lava ran through his veins during that second as his mind corrected him for the mistake.

_Darn it! He's Cody not Travis._Zack's fist clenched so tightly his palms were white.

A hand touched his shoulder and Zack jumped. No one was supposed to be in the hallway by the bathroom besides him.

"Get off me" Zack's voice echoed down to the empty hallway and spin around with his hands rising.

Tapeworm's face went pale as his eardrums took the full impact of Zack's shout. He backed off as he saw the rage on Zack's face. The anger overrunning his controls and the walls appeared bloody as Zack looked at his target. Zeus's thunder sounded off in the distance with his arms extended ready to throw another bolt at the bushy-haired Tapeworm.

The haze in Zack's eyes slowly drained from them and saw the fear in his friend's eyes and immediately dropped his guard.

_Oh, god, what was I about to do?_

"Tape, I'm sorry. I was…just…well…"

"Ah, it's ok. I was wondering what happened to you. It was taking you forever to come back."

"I had stuff to think about." _His eyes are watching my hands._

"Oh… see you in class." Tape backed away, never turning back until he rounded the corner out of Zack's sight.

_Great! Now Tapeworm fears me._ Anxiety and anger formed a lethal mix inside Zack. Both destroying everything under his control. What little control he had anyway. One drained his self-confidence and reassurance while the other was dissolving the mask on his face he put out to the world.

_Must get my anger under control. Can't let them see it._

The blood returned to the skin as his nails relieved the pressure. He did not realize the entire time he was looking at Tapeworm; he kept the pressure on his fists. His mind slowly focused back on the topic before the faceoff with his- _maybe?_ Zack thought- friend.

_What did I do to deserve this? I was nice to Cody, shared my room with him…_

Zack's mind wandered to a well worn scene.

_I felt his fear as Ken_… (Zack's mind came unfocused at the mention of the name)…_mentioned discipline. It was like he was crying out for me. I just know it…_

_Could I be wrong? He flinched at my touch. Cody would never do that. He was the one who likes to hugged or held or touched on the arm, not me._

_It's like he does not want to remember me. Is it the abuse? Was it so bad he forgot who I was?_

…_No, it can't be true._

_Trisha did not even help._

The scene from the day before came back with Zack's (and Cody's) social worker showing up and seeing how everything was.

_He did not even react. He acted like she was a stranger to him. We have known her since we were five years old… I can still the remember seeing the sadness in her eyes too. Cody_(Zack refused to call him Travis in his head) _did not even let her hug him._

_Still. He's nice and kind just like Cody used to be… I mean still is._

Zack's stopped in the hallway. As it happened, he was standing of Cody's-_he told himself_- locker. He looked and saw the backpack inside through the slots in the door and got an idea

_Wait… I wonder if I could do that. Maybe that will turn him around. Yeah._

Zack's mind flared of his plan as he walked back into the classroom.

Travis walked into the cafeteria. There were hundreds of kids either sitting at the tables eating or waiting in line.

_They are probably friends talking to friends about the really important topics of elementary childhood._

_They are probably talking hobbies, crushes, pranks, forgotten schoolwork, and… the bad cafeteria food._

He wondered about what it was like to have few cares in life besides going to school and having fun.

_I wish I had their life._

Travis walked into the line waiting for food. One second he was looking around, the next his face on the floor with his nose smashed flat.

_What happened? My head hurts._

"Oops my bad…not." Laughter erupted around him.

Travis turned his head and saw a dark- skinned corn rowed hair boy with cargo pants with a blue shirt on flanked with two others standing over him.

_What did I do to deserve this?_

"Oh look, the boy fell down" More laughter. "Must have been REALLY clumsy."

"Why did you push me down?" asked Travis. His voice slightly shaking.

"Push you? We did not push you. You fell." A smile appeared in his face but his tone was exactly the opposite. "The new boy here can't even stand. What an idiot."

Travis looked at the trio for a second, wondering what he could do against these odds, he looked down at the floor, until he heard a voice.

"Hey, why's the line stopped?"

_Who said that?_ His eyes searched for the speaker and out of the circle came a figure with blond hair.

_It's Zack!_

"Oh Martin, this kid fell after he tried to get into my spot in line."

Zack looked at Travis with a raised eyebrow. His focused eyes told another story.

_At least I know I'm not alone here._

Zack's voice broke through his thoughts. "Back off, Drew, he's new. He does not know the way things run around here, okay? Besides getting into a fight over a lunch line spot is not worth it, is it?"

"Are you wanting to fight or something?" Drew countered. The two kids beside him moved away from Drew to form a semicircle for a better angle.

"Oh no, just saying, fighting over bad Mac and cheese is ridiculous but if you want to go at it…" Zack tone reeked of seriousness and humor at the same time

"What you know this pipsqueak or something?" Drew asked him.

"Yeah, he's in my class."

"One more person to avoid running over." Zack stepped forward. Drew backed off. "Not worth my time. Whatever" Drew and his two lackeys turned around and walked away.

Zack walked up toward Travis, helped him off the floor, and they went to get lunch.

Together.

* * *

"Well thank you for coming so quickly."

"No problem" said Ken to the Zack and Travis's first class teacher, Mrs. Ayers. Joanna was sitting down in a chair next to him.

"We wanted to talk to you about both boys and figured getting all the teachers together at once made things easier. This will be a short introductory meeting." Mr. Knowles, the boys' science teacher said.

"Well, I suppose you want us to explain how we intend to support both of them academic wise?" Joanna asked. The teachers in the room nodded.

"Well first off I would to keep the fact they are foster kids to yourselves as long as possible and try not to treat them differently than the rest of the kids" Joanna's eyes stared into each of the teachers as she said this to them.

"We will do that, but if I may ask, what makes you think we would treat them differently due to their living arrangements?" asked Knowles with raised eyebrows, narrowed eyes and a jagged expression.

"I don't think Joanna meant it that way, Mr. Knowles," said Ken, trying to stop something before it started. "I can guarantee she definitely was _not_ judging your professionalism. We have two boys here just trying to learn something and achieve success."

Joanna issued an apology to the teacher, who relaxed and listened to Ken as he continued.

"All of us have been childhood and in your case, seen hundreds of children trying to advance through the educational system. Let's face it, kids can be cruel. Especially around this age. If you stand out like a sore thumb, you _will_be picked on by the others in the classroom. Whether that is as a teacher's pet or a foster child. What's makes it worse for a foster kids is the stain with that comes being one in school and society."

"Ken's right." Joanna's tone was easy-going but strong. "If the rest of the students found about Zack and Travis's living arrangement, it could be very detrimental for their schooling. There are three students who know about Zack and Travis's situation since they are friends with them"

Mrs. Ayers broke in, "Yes we know who you speak of. Their history teacher remembers their friends helping Zack in class with answers when he was stumped or was seen walking with him on many occasions." The woman saw the widened eyes of the foster parents. "Relax; we have no intention of breaking them up. As a matter of fact, it can't hurt to have a few friends around to help.

"Thank you. They need all the support they can get right now." Joanna said compassionately.

"Speaking of support, how are you going to help them with their schooling?"

Ken decided to answer this one. "We are from the Star Kingdom, where a person needs an education to have a future. Both of us especially me are endeavored to help the boys have a chance and overcome their current situation." When he stopped, he found smiles on both of the teachers' face.

"Did I say something that amused you?" Ken asked confused.

"No, it's just sometimes it's mostly the mothers who are interested in a child's schooling while the fathers are involved in sports," Mr. Knowles responded.

"As you can see, we are not from anywhere around here and our expectations on male role models and their participation in academics are much higher," Ken answered

"Good." The single word from Mrs. Ayers was simple but it spokes volumes.

"Next we are going to talk about Zack since he's been around the longest."

Joanna cut in, "Is there any issues with the boy?"

"We think so. He has issues concentrating in class and finishing his work during class," Mrs. Ayers said.

"It is possible that his environment could be causing issues with him concentrating in class?" Ken saw the teachers about to react. "What I meant is the possibility his switching homes multiple times, having another boy living with him and adjusting to a new one is not allowing him to get comfortable enough to focus on the school work?"

"It's certainly possible those could have an impact in school. But there could be an internal issue that could affect Zack's schooling as well," Mrs. Ayers remarked.

"Such as?" Ken's tone was nervous but ominous. He was afraid of where this could go.

"Such things such ADD or ADHD could come into play with Zack." Joanna and Ken looked at Mr. Knowles. "My son has ADD, so I have taken an extreme interest in the subject." The man sighed once and looked at the parents. "Zack could certainly have it. But of course he might not have it as well. It could just what you described –his environment overwhelming to the point where he can't concentrate at school. The symptoms for both have to be a certain way and be witnessed in multiple environments. Practically everything has to be proven not to be the cause of the problem for it to be ADHD or ADD."

Joanna spoke up "I happen to agree with you on the possibility of Zack having some sort of issue. We have Zack's school file and there are notes for inattention, distractions, losing things, some hyperactivity as well as other things as well. There is evidence of it going back maybe to preschool. We have old files that say as much."

"May say something?" Ken asked the group, who nodded. "Sometimes boys need to be taught differently because they have so much pent up energy. They need to be active and when they have extra energy to burn; they usually act out in order to get rid of it. In Zack's case, his parents died when he was five years old, so that event and the chaos he's been through since then have probably had an effect on him."

Knowles jumped in after this "Actually effects from traumatic events can cause or mimic ADHD in a child. So it could go both ways. Depression, anxiety, sleeping problems is just some problems, so it is very difficult to correctly diagnosis ADD to any child. Besides any ADD symptoms have to be for at least six months in multiple environments "The man turns to ken with an investigative look."Why are trying to make It seem that Zack could not have the disease anyway?"

Ken looked at the man straight in the eye and said "I did not want to become stereotyped into what an ADD kid can do. With an issue that like, there are certain or lack of expectations on a child and I don't want that with him. With being a foster child, it could harm his self esteem down even more."

"I understand what you mean by that. Still, if some things don't change we may have to focus our concentration on the possibility of such a thing being true."

"So we all agree Zack's schooling needs to be watched, correct?" Mrs. Ayers said to the group and who nodded. "Good at least we have a common front on that. We have do something soon or else Zack has a chance at failing the grade and I know we dont want that."

"Next Travis, from what little of I have seen, he seems like a bright young man wanting to learn. He is a little quiet sometimes but he does answer questions."

"Well that's good," Ken said with a smile.

"However, I have one comment and then a question. I noticed certain similarities between the two boys when they came in. Specifically their eyes and faces looked the same. They would not be related, would they?"

Ken and Joanna did not dare look at each other. Their faces remained passive. Mrs. Ayers and Mr. Knowles exchanged looks. Both had seen the same thing and had the same questions. Some were out of curiosity. Others were out of worry for their students.

"Em…" Ken's voice trailed off trying to figure it out how and what to tell the teachers without giving up everything. Joanna beat him to the punch.

"Yes, they are. They are identical twins actually. Things have happened recently to Travis that have caused some issues with us and his brother and his hair." If it was not for the seriousness of the situation, Joanna would have smiled at the last part.

"I hate to be rude and intrusive but a twin does not just show up out of nowhere when his other twin was at school for almost a month?" The science teacher's eyes were narrowed.

Joanna forced her eyes to Ken, who broke his stony movements. They looked at each other and nodded, realizing they were caught. But they decided to keep some aces up their sleeves for the protection of the boys.

"Travis, whose real name is Cody by the way, was kidnapped before Zack came to us and has only recently been found and reconnected with his twin. There have been issues with the reunion but we are hoping to work them out. I think it's just a matter of time before everything is smoothed out. Keep calling Travis until further notice." Joanna's voice was calm but deep underneath there was a little nervousness.

Ken looked at the teacher with granite look "I need to ask you to keep this silent not only from the other teachers who you interact with but also the students as well. We will talk with the other teachers shortly about this. The students cannot know for obvious reasons. I need your word for this. I mean it."

The two teachers looked at the burden weary foster parents and said they would. Both groups would never know how they would be linked from now on.

* * *

The suite at the Tipton erupted with noise as two preteen boys walked in and tossed their book bags on the table.

One boy grabbed cookies and soda while the other made a sandwich. They looked at each other (and their snacks) with equally curious expression.

Both started on their homework in the quiet suite only watched by the tree cat lying down on the other of the table. Both smiled at the past antics of creature. Today, Alexander was playing with a tennis ball to past the time. As soon as he saw them watching him, he looked at both of them and tossed the ball to them.

"Do you want us to get into trouble?" said Travis with the ball in his hand. "We have to do our homework. We can't play with you."

"Why not?" asked Zack, his smiling face looking between his roommate and the creature. "We have plenty of time."

"No we don't, if we don't do it now, there's a chance we will fall behind and I don't want that happening."

"Oh right, oh right," groaned Zack and both proceeded to do their homework. Alexander stopped distracting them, watching them put graphite to paper and flipping pages when necessary. Travis helped Zack with difficult questions when needed and kept after him every time he wanted to watch TV instead of doing his work. Joanna helped too as he walked in and out of the room on occasion to make sure it was actually getting done. After a while, both finally finished only to hear the door open.

Ken walked in and the boys packing stuff away. "So are you done?" The boys looked at each other and nodded. "Well that's good then. Let's have a look at it them?"

Both froze when Ken said this. "Why?' croaked Zack.

"Because I want to see how you're doing. After all, you live here and I want to see you do well in school. So let's see today homework, shall we?"

* * *

_Well so far not so bad_.

_Travis's work is pretty good beyond a few mistakes here or there._

Ken tapped Travis on the shoulder. The boy almost jumped of his seat but Ken made no mention of the action. He pointed out the missing comma, word, the mistake with the fractions along with misspelled words and science. The boy nodded here and there to say he understood.

_Travis was a little hesitant there for a while but in the end, he came out of his shell a little. Heck he knew the answer about magnetism before I was able to finish the question? Not too bad._

Ken put a hand on Travis shoulder and smiled as they finished. The boy flinched slightly but his mouth pointed upward at the man's kind words.

_We still have a long way to go._ The thought never touched his eyes as he looked at Travis. The boy asked to go to his room and Ken nodded.

The half-pay naval officer turned his attention towards his main problem: Zack.

His eyes looked at the boy in front of him. His eyes slightly downward. His hands in his lap. No expression at all on his face. A mask.

_I wonder what he's thinking of all of this._

"Zack?" The boy slowly looked up but not totally at Ken. He did not move his limbs. Almost as if he expects something to happen

"Are you ready to go over your homework? Don't worry, it's not torture. I just want to tell what's wrong so you can improve."

Ken's eyes could see Zack's expressionless mask grow even stronger. He mentally sighed and leaned over toward the boy with his homework. His thoughts remembering a conversation from earlier that day.

* * *

A knob turned in the door and Zack walked into the room. He closed the door and sighed.

"That took a while"

He looked up and saw an auburn haired boy on his bed.

_My brother….but not._

"Why is he so focused on that? Homework?"

"Don't you want to do good in school?" asked Travis

_If only I could…_

Zack put his book bag on his bed and walked toward his closet. Travis had a separate closet for himself. He saw some boxes at the bottom of his.

_I remember… Ken put those boxes in the bottom of my closet so Travis (I mean Cody) could not see them… Maybe he wanted me to show them to him._

Zack remembered the idea he got at school when he looked his roommate's locker.

_That's it._ Zack's happiness swelled as he thought of something that surely would bring Cody back to him. He searched through the boxes and found what he needed. Travis's voice found him and he turned and saw Travis moving toward him.

"I wanted to thank you for helping with that Drew kid today. I thought I was a goner with him. My heart was pumping hard and I saw you, I was so glad I was not alone. "

"Hey, no problem." Zack put a hand on Travis's shoulder and smiled "That's what friends are for."

_I want to say brother but I know that would not be right. Let's see if I can show his favorite thing in the whole world. Besides me, of course._

"Hey Travis, come here I want to show you something?" His heart beat faster and his hope rose. He could hardly contain his excitement, soon he'd have his Cody back instead of this stranger.

"What is it?" Travis came over and saw Zack carry a box onto his bed.

Zack gave him a blue felt blanket. He moved it around in his hands.

_I hope, I hope…_Zack looked at the boy who he knew was his brother hold his most personal object.

"It feels soft and nice. Whoever had this must have been lucky, though it's a little small."

"Yeah it is, it's a baby blanket. It belonged to someone I know. He called Blankie. It was his favorite thing in the world besides his brother."

He looked on as Travis felt it, the softness calming the boy down…just as it did for Cody.

He saw he was close, now, just to bring his memories back for good.

"His name was Cody."

Zack's saw Travis's head flash around. His face was completely different from before. There was no smile, no happiness, and no calm. His face was slowly turned to the darkest shade of red Zack had ever seen.

_His eyes… there's only fire in them. Oh no, what have I done? _Before Zack could think of anything else, Travis's voice stumped on him.

Sharp. Laser scalpel sharp. It was cool as zero degrees Kelvin and its words froze Zack in his place.

"You're just like him, aren't you? You think I am him. This Cody person, don't you?"

Zack said nothing, but the boy in front of him was not the person he knew a moment before. His skin was beat red with flash of pale skin intermeshed. It looked to Zack the boy was a walking plague ready to destroy everything in its path, with the first target, being the boy who unwisely initiated its release.

"That's what you think, don't you?" Travis's voice never raised itself beyond normal conversation. That's what made its lethality worse. The lowered volume allowed Zack to understand his meaning and at the same time, made sure they would not be disturbed by the adults since they were out of the suite downstairs in the lobby.

"Well, guess what, I'm not Cody. I never was and I never will be" Travis walked forward to Zack, whose body slowly retreated, Trying to get away from the epicenter of the disaster he created.

_I'm scared. I've never seen him this way. He terrifies me. Where he did get this from?_

Too soon he hit a wall and was forced to look into the eyes of the thing in front of him. Their allure held him. They showed what he did and did not want to know.

_He's seriously believes this. Why?... Why?... Why?...How could be like this?_

Tears started to fill Zack's eyes but the other life force did not stop.

"Look at me Zachary." Zack's eyes refocused themselves on the pupils of Travis.

"You see this?"

_Cody's Blankie!_

He watched as Travis dropped the blanket onto the floor and proceeded to step… no stomp on it with both feet, not once or twice….but several times.

_No!_

Water fell to the ground at the sight of the wrinkled and crumbled blanket under the feet of the boy. If heartbreak could be heard, whole continents would have fallen into the ocean.

Travis was not done yet.

_What… is… he… doing?_

Zack was pushed to the limit. What he saw next, pushed him over.

Travis proceeded to methodically dump the rest of "Cody's" boxes onto the floor at Zack's feet. Mocking him with certain precious memories from his favorite stuffed animal to his favorite toy. Saying repeatedly they were not his. Zack looked on hopelessly as his hopes and dreams fall apart from his own doing.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm Travis…not Cody…and never will be."

Zack couldn't believe it, he thought that this would be the way to bring Cody back, and instead, the Cody he knew was even farther away.

Would he ever get his Cody back? He had to be in there…somewhere, but where? What happened to him to change him like this? Was there anyway to bring him back?

* * *

**Honestly I can say the last scene went further than I had originally intended but after reading it, I like the emotional impact and it does not go very far off of what I originally wanted to tell anyways, so it stays.**

**As always please read and review the chapter and the others as well. If you have any questions about the story or the Honor Harrington universe, you can PM me. Reviews and PM are loved and I thank those who have done so far. Until next time.**


	13. Shadows of Death

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life or the Honor Harrington Series. **

**I would like to thank Darkelements 10 and Tiger002 for betaing the chapter.**

**WARNING: There is an M rated section in this chapter. I mean it! I'm serious. Read it at your risk. Description of death and a horrible one at that. There is a warming where it begins and ends, so you don't want to read it, skip over it.**

**On with the story…**

It was the plain white and gray uniforms

It was the dead silence.

It was the clanging of metal on metal.

It was prison.

_What did you expect paradise?_

Ken was walking through the different cell blocks on his way toward his destination. Alexander located on his shoulder.

It clashed with his memory of that morning saying goodbye to Joanna and Zack and Travis before dashing out the door.

_The boys were eating breakfast, quickly. Odd. You think they were trying to get away from us. Or each other? Ken pushed the idea to the side for now._

Ken saw the hands of the inmates through the bars of the cells and the guards walking the perimeter. Looking the new visitor with the creature on his shoulder. A distraction from the normal regimented strict schedule of bathroom breaks, chow lines, transfers, outdoor exercise, and maybe job training.

Ken's mind switched over to a happier subject.

The heat from Joanna's lips on his cheeks. Ken smiled. Oh so alive. Lasting connection to each other's souls was it. There were times Ken ached for it. This was one of those times. To be wrapped with their arms and her presence.

The Bars. Solid. Unmoving. Stiff. No care as to the state of its occupents. Just there to a job. No more. Pushed, Pulled, Locked and Unlocked when needed.

Ken stood in front of the entrance to the area he needed to be in.

_So inhumane. It makes me glad I was never in here. I think I would go crazy being treated like this. _

Crime and Punishment.

_Makes you wonder whether its worst dealing with the guilt from the murder, robbery or assault you were sentenced for or with this monotony of this existence while the rest of the universe leaves you behind. Husbands, Wives, Sons, Daughters. Heck even Fido the dog. I don't think I would be able to deal with that._

An alarmed sounded. Wheels rolled and sun and artificial light slashed his face as the gate allowed entrance to the secured area. Ken walked through and the gates sealed him in and he remembered the reason for being here in the first place.

A call from a police detective from Travis's case.

_Get here now the voice said. You need to see this._

Ken's stomach almost curled at the scene. His mind overrode the reaction as Ken, a battle welded soul of over 20 years looked at the scene.

_Come on, you have seen grasers take out entire sections of ships watching as skinsuited military personnel cease to exist along with battle steel and circuitry. The air -providing life saving encasing device offered no defense against lethal gamma ray radiation weapons._

Those broadside energy weapons were the main weapons besides missiles in combat.

_You've seen friends you have known since the academy die in your arms or be blasted into vacuum. People losing limbs in combat barely surviving when the skin suit acting like a tourniquet dumping drugs into their system. Fusion reactors failing as watch crews try to maintain them. Watching the needles move to zero as heat and air are slowly exhausted from your skin suit as you float helplessly as a Dutchman waiting to die in space. Or isolated in battle damaged compartments fearing you will die as search and rescue crews frantically search for survivors. _

Ken's mind pushed away from the depressive path it was heading down and raised his hand to caress Alexander. The treecat pushed back against his touch with his ears flat on his head. Ken's mood raised with the contact as his mind had one jab on the topic.

_One big difference. You are not a vacuum suit with air scrubers cleaning the air of unwanted smell from damaging your precious air passages_ He could hear the jeering in his mind. _The bodies still on the floor in open air. And the smell is defecating. The smell of Death._

Ken walked forward toward the gathering of people around two sheets on the ground.

One of the men looked to him and nodded to the others who walked to a corner of the room away from the two men.

"Good morning Detective Boyle"

"Captain Mitchell, you got here fast"

"Well, when I got a call from you stating to get here, I bribed a pilot and a flight engineer to skimp a few rules to get me here." Ken smiled at the detective, but it died the second Ken's eyes saw the detective's face.

Ken saw that face before. Ken knew that face. After all Ken had the same face after certain combat situations. All humor melted away.

"What do we have?"

"What we have has to do with two people both of us know very well." Boyle handed Ken two pictures.

Ken looked at the pictures. Instantly, his rage swelled inside him, his eyes narrowed to slights his hands became fists and he heard Alexander hiss loudly. He saw Boyle's eyes widen at the sight.

Before him in digital print were the faces of Travis "father "and his friend. Their faces plain and non- threatening.

Ken remembered the first time he'd seen the face of one of these monsters.

He met him on the day he and Joanna went to see Travis for the first time. He had told Joanna he went to deal with paperwork, which he deal. What he did not tell her was the fact he made a side trip to Dauphin County Prison to visit to a certain inmate.

****Flashback****

It was surprising…and infuriating

He was in a normal prison jumpsuit. The man looked liked an unassuming normal guy.

_He could been my teacher when I was younger. I guess that's what makes scrum like him easy to blend in. They look so normal to us. Of course if criminals were marked with a neon glowing signs, we would not need police now would we? But at the same, no witch hunts or else all heck would break loose. _

Ken looked at the man who abused his so-called "son"

He had a few bruises on him. Ken suspected they were from aspects of prison life, which child abusers were at the bottom of the pile_. _

"Well it looks like someone's been having a little fun?" Ken said the to the guy, who ignored him with a grimance_. _

_Ken could see the tiniest bit of fear in his eyes._

_How the mighty have fallen, ken thought with manic glee. He did not let his reaction touch the mask on his mask as he continued to look at the prisoner. _

The prisoner looked at Alexander.

"You're manticoran, aren't you?"

Ken smirked and nodded.

"The treecat gave you away."

_Well at least you not stupid Ken thought._

"What you doing here anyway"

Ken leaned forward toward the man and looked at him with a face which froze the sun.

"I'm here regarding a certain boy you had in your care a while ago"

"So how is dear little Travie?" The man's voice had a chuckle in it. Ken tried to not let it get to him. "How is my son? I do hope he is good or else he deserves some punishment. You know a smack here or there."

_Too bad he is already in chains. I could let him loose in a few dangerous places for people like him. _Ken slid a glance at Alexander. He saw the treecats claws were extended._ I see Alexander agrees with me. _Ken's eyes glowed as a possibility arose in his head._ On second thought, how about a room with Alexander? That way we all get what we want. Well except for the prisoner. A treecat gets to stretch his paws and I get to see justice done._

A certain part of Ken's mind decided to come into play.

_Oh well. I guess I will have to play within the rules. Damn._

"The way you treated Cody for over two and half years cant and wont happen anymore. The law saw to that. You see, the jury saw right through you" Ken gestured toward the facial injuries of the now pale man. "I guarantee the fun you are having now is just beginning. You see, inmates tend to watch a lot of TV and have family members on the outside telling them what's going on. So eventually, the full story about you might come out. You know-letters from home, talking to the guards, and local news programs. The list is endless."

The man started to stutter as he failed to contemplate all this. 

"You mean …you …"

The man looked into Ken's eyes and saw a shark smelling blooding in the water. Ken swam into for the kill.

"That' right. We figured out. Travis is actually Cody. You know the boy you kidnapped from right in front of his twin brother."

Ken cracked his knuckles. He could feel fire burning in his eyes. He stayed sitting down but he saw Alexander started to shake with the intensity in Ken's voice.

"What did you get out of it anyway?" "Kicks?" Ken remembered a small detail from the kidnapping. "And why only one kid? You could have had both with little issue. What did you intend to do with him?"

By this time, the prisoner was leaning back trying to get away from him but his voice did not fail him.

"We…We were going to sell him. You know with his age and his description, we would have gotten a lot of money for him but it fell through because the police were looking for him. So we were forced to keep him. As for the other one, we ran out of time and he was being protected or else we would have gotten him too."

If they were alone Ken could gotten physical with the guy but with the guard outside, it never would have stayed quiet.

So he settled for what he had.

"Selling him!...But let me guess… that failed so you beat the crap out of him while you tried to survive yourself. And the Travis was just a last second thing to cover yourself?"

Ken had a vivid imagination so he could the hellish existence the boy would have went through if sold. Especially since his existence as a naval officer forced him to see things he rather not see. That includes the depravity of his fellow human beings.

_I don't know what's worse. Being sold into God's knows what-slavery, prostitution, pornography or being beat up by these two monsters… I can't tell Joanna what I found out… At least not for a while. And not the boys. EVER._

Ken grabbed Alexander off the table. The treecat flinched at the contact and hissed loudly. Ken seated the cat on his lab and petted his fur pelt. The animal slowly calmed down.

The prisoner was nodding still to the questions asked, eyes locked on Alexander.

Ken smiled. A smile of Death. The prisoner withdrew as Ken started to speak.

"Well, that was enlightening… and revolting. For some reason that little part did not find its way into the trial transcript. Probably due to no evidence…Well no matter. In the end, the penal system has its own way of things in here. Since you are not in protective custody, you are in general population, which gives anyone a free target at you. I cant imagine what they want to do with you. Oh wait I can. Its not going to be pretty."

Ken rose out of his seat, his smile gotten wider and more primal. He called to the guard to open the gate. The door open and closed. Ken turned back to Cody's abuser.

"All I can say to you is may you live in interesting times and it should be interesting" Ken had changed to one talking to a little child. "Now remember they can come and get you at any time, so be ever vigilant." "Until we meet again." Ken turned and left and the now shivering man in the room he left behind.

****End Flashback****

_We meet again indeed._

Ken looked up at Detective Boyle , who was looking him curiously.

"He and I met in prison soon after they put him in" ken pointed to the picture of Travis's "father". "Let's say we both left a considerable impression on each other."

"I can say that makes two of us. Both of these monsters made one of the worst cases I have ever seen. Especially since I found out, the boy's true identity." The detective shook his head.

_This guy definitely matched my first impression_, thought Ken. Boyle was the lead investigator on the case when Ken met soon after leaving the prison and the boy's abuser. He looked at the detective. The wrinkles around his darkened eyes showed age and attrition beyond his years. There was already silver starting to poke out at his temples, only to be matched by the dark circles under his eyes.

_He definitely wears the job on his sleeve_, Ken thought. Pity filled him as he looked at Boyle. _I wonder how many hours he put in on the case?... Enough by the looks of him. _ Cigarettes thrusted themselves of a front pocket. A lighter was next to them forming of a duo of relief in the pocket of a worn tan trenchcoat.

"I talked to some of the officers who found him and they said the boy was practically vibrating out of his skin when they found him. Crying don't hurt me. The paramedics had to give the boy drugs just to calm him down and get him into the ambulance. I saw him in the hospital and he seemed lost with everything"

Boyle drew his hand across his eyes. "Definitely a case I wont forget. "

"None of us will" Ken's eyes were concentrating on a blood spot on the ground.

"How is he, anyway? Travis or should I say Cody? "

"He's…living." Gloom drew over the room making the lights flicker and color drain and make an already dismal scene even more so.

Boyle's head drew up in alarm. Ken saw the look and stopped him before anything was said.

"Physically he's fine. He's still keeping his abuser's identity. As for his relationship with his brother…I don't know." Ken started to pace on his spot. The light from the lone window wavered across his face. It slowed a man more toward his 45 years of life then the 20 or so years prolong allowed him to be.

"He seems like he's acclimating to the situation. But I can't be sure. I feel like something missing from the both of them. He and Zack. They are being cordial toward each other. But there's no…warmth toward other. Especially recently. We expected it to take some time for them to adjust to each other's prescence after so long. But they acting like they just pieces of furniture toward each other."

Ken looked at Boyle, who had a blank look on his face.

"What I mean is that they exist in each other's world but there's confirmation of the connection. Something had to have happened between them for them to act like this."

Ken remembered a conversation Joanna and himself about this very thing. Ken remembered Joanna's worried eyes as they talked about the situation. They figured out it was something between the boys themselves.

****Flashback****

"You know we should do something? We cant just leave them like this." Joanna said as the lovers lay in bed.

"I agree fully. The question is what? I feel helpless too."

Joanna rolled over to look at him.

"We are supposed to protect them."

Ken reached out and wrapped his arm around her.

"I know. Unfortunately how to deal with the damage already without causing more?

"We have to try. Or we might lose both of them." Ken looked at his girlfriend in worry, perceiving the sudden change in her emotions.

"Think about for one second. The situation for zack. Your twin comes back and does not recognize you. I could not imagine that happening to me. If that happened to Roger, I would be devastated. We're only a year apart and not twins."

Ken thought: _She's right of course. Having your older brother ,the crown prince and heir to the throne, be like Travis would destroy her world_. He continued to listen to her.

"For zack it would seem like to find Cody only to lose him again. Its like the body is there but the things that make Cody-his soul, mind, his personality –are not."

"Why do you think that?" Ken asked her, curious as to her confidence of her thoughts.

"Simple. Zack himself" _Huh? Went through Ken' s mind_ It was must have shown on Ken's face because Joanna expanded.

"If Cody was himself and not saying he was Travis, do you not think Zack would much happier than he has been recently."

Ken's head swerved and then nodded fully as he agreed with her.

"I think in the end if things don't change soon one way or another, we may lose both boys. One due to heartbreak. The other due to uncertainity"

Ken's heart hurt as he realized the implications of Joanna 's statement and agreed with them.

How did you…?

"I took psychology courses in college. " Joanna answered as If it was obvious. "Along with some economics and physics courses as well."

"But I thought you focused in government and history?"

"I did, but I took some extra courses on the side as well. You know to deal with many situations as I could as possible. You never know what a princess of the realm will have to deal with. It pays to be prepared."

****End Flashback****

Boyle broke through Ken's mind.

"Both of these creeps could not sleep for a while, suffered from insomnia and started having paranoid delusions around here."

"Well that's a nice start on payback but its not going to help the boy they terrorized." Alexander's hissing ricocheted off the walls, making it a thousand times louder than it was.

" I agree but whatever is going on with the boy now, I am pretty what happened here might help."

"What do you mean?" Ken asked the detective, who had a strange look on his face.

"Well…" Boyle moved toward the two sheets on the floor and pulled them back.

Ken's face paled and his eyes bugged out of his skull.

Beneath the two sheets were Cody's abusers.

But they were not normal.

******************Warning M warning********************

For one they were covered in blood. So much so Ken almost could not tell where the blood stopped and human flesh began. Ken could barely see that bruises colored the skin purple, giving the viewer the blood smeared skin tone an eggplant shade. The prison jumpsuits they were wearing were ripped with openings all over the chest area. Rivers of gore ran down the suit in wide star formations. The blood stains surrounded the bodies , presenting a ghastly aura around them. Two fiends were slained. With the innocent white floor dirtied by their presence.

Ken lowered himself. Putting Alexander on the ground. He bent down, putting one knee on the ground while having a hand on the other hand.

Ken looked both sets of arms. Defensive wounds dotted them. There was barely a few inches on each arm from shoulder to hand where there were not at least scratches. Most were deep gashes with zipper like edges. Ken could see the ligaments and the muscles underneath the blood with the massive open wounds. Everything was torn to shreds. Muscle with ligaments in a cadaver salad mixed with blood sauce. Some were so deep Ken thought he saw the white of bone beneath.

"Who let a horde of enraged lions in here?

"Actually it was about a dozen people, all lifer inmates, who did this. They used everything from bats and fists and pipes to beat them up. They shattered bones on both victims including both legs and the face"

"I can see that" Ken said.

Ken can see even with the sheets lowered over their legs, something happened. The legs appeared to broken in multiple places. The sheet that covered them jagged out in certain places showing evidence of bones sticking out.

Their faces disturbed Ken the most of all everything so far. Even dead, the fear was evident. The mouths still open in silent screams with blood mixeded with tears and sweat providing a beard of pink around their mouths. The hairs on their face glistening in the light. He could see both had broken noses and they attributed to their bruised death mask. Cut ran rampant over their faces. The blood ran down onto the floor and into their hair. The hair appeared to be on fire with crimson flames.

************************************* End M scene*************************************

"Then they decided to up the ante. Video and eyewitness proved this next part. The guards escorting the prisoners from different locations were forced from the area with the inmates busting the door. This prevented them from interfering. But they were close enough to hear the screams of the victims. "

"What'd they use for the slashes and surface wounds?" Ken asked with morbid curiosity while looking the dead bodies of Travis's abusers.

"Anything from cut glass to utensils and sawed off toothbrushes and pipes. We don't how they did it but somehow snuck in a few serrated knives."

"Well that explains the severe wounds" Ken's mind went back over the various cuts, stab wounds and bruises over the bodies on the floor.

"Oh they weren't quite down with them after that."

_I could have sworn I saw a perverse smile on Boyle… No I was seeing things. _Ken thought he watched Boyle move toward waist level of the bodies and lifted the sheet.

"See they lost a lot more than just their lives." Boyle looked at him.

_Now I know I saw something in his eyes_… Ken looked down as his mind stopped.

_I think I am about to throw up._ Ken drew back from the explicit showing. _I feel faint_. _Twenty years of military experience can't totally get rid of that impulsive feeling and reaction . I don't think anything can._ Only pure strength of will prevented his breakfast from appearing on the floor.

He saw Alexander recoil from the sight and cuddle against his leg as he recovered from the horror.

Ken regained control with his breathing evening out and walked back to the now thankfully covered bodies.

"So they lost…"

"Yep" Detective interrupted Ken's comment. "They lost the family jewels. Pretty much they cant go to the bathroom in the afterlife. They lost the one part every man dare not think about losing."

"No kidding. My legs almost gave out from under me" Ken replied to the attempt at gallows humor.

"What makes it worse is the fact it was done premortem."

"They were still alive when it happened?" Boyle nodded at Ken's question.

"And they used the bluntest objects they could find to do it." Boyle's voice barely above a whisper but Ken heard it clearly enough.

Something rose out of Ken as he tried recount everything he remembered so far.

Something terrible, something unblocked, something Ken was afraid of

_What an interesting development, don't you think? _

Ken heard the voice in his head. The same voice that mocked him earlier. Its candor drove toward Ken's core.

_I mean, you wanted this. DON'T DENY IT. Their deaths allow the boy to maybe move on. In the end, what did this world lose? Two people who wasted precious life given to them by doing evil deeds._

Another voice pushed its way in. This one was wrath, built from wounds another lifetime ago.

_But you know, you wanted something worse for them. You wanted to live in everlasting torment wishing them to live the same way as they did to the boy._

Ken looked at the covered bodies of the now dead abusers and discovered something inside him_._

_Glee. Unbashful, Unending Glee._

This disturbed Ken but his mind proceeded on.

_Every knife wound, every slash to their bodies felt good to you. _The darkness spoke to him. Ken listened. _They deserved it after all. All the pain and suffering. The draining of life just like they did to the boy except more satisifying. Justice was truly done. Not by word or by the gravel. But by violence and blood lust. You know its true. So natural and right._

Ken stared at the carnage and revelation came upon him. No matter how much he wanted to deny it. A part of him wanted what the darkness said. The primal part. The part dimmed by human society and treaties and rules. It was still there buried ready to come out. His life had shown it to him and he had feared it in himself, afraid of what he might do if it took over. The self created chains contained it. For Now.

Ken said goodbye to Detective Boyle and started his way out of the cell block through the bars and gates with Alexander on his shoulder.

Ken's mind pushed the voices to the side and took over.

_I am sort of glad they are dead though…Not in a sadistic way. At least I don't think so?... I'm just relieved it happened with all the pain Cody has gone through. I mean who would not feel this way?_

Ken's mind turned to the images of the twin boys back at home, wondering why fate decided to give them the hand it did.

_At least the first part of healing can begin now with the boy. Hopefully. The problem is how do I tell him? Is it worth the risk? We have to find a way to start the process. How hard do I push? _

Ken stopped and sighed. Something built inside him. A new energy. Not driven by rage or anger but by purpose.

_Well, there is one way I get back at them. Making sure both Zack and his twin survive this intact._

Ken smiled at this.

_That's right. I'll show you. I'll get the last laugh by being there for them and making sure something becomes of them. Showing you that you failed._

Ken walked out of the prison decided on his new mission.

**I will get back to the twins in the next chapter, I promise. I just wanted to stop here or else I would had an 8000 word chapter again and I did not want that.**

**Besides there are enough emotions and actions to review already. Anyway, please read and review as always. They are greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or comments about the story or the Honor Harrington series, please leave a review or you can PM me. Until next time….**


	14. Brotherhood Counsel

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life or the Honor Harrington Series.**

**I also do not own the Boston Commons. It's a real place in the city of Boston. I have never been there. Oh if I make a mistake in description of the park in the past, present, or future in this story, I apologize.**

**I would like to thank Darkelements10 and tiger002 for betaing this chapter**.

_What am I supposed to do now?_

Zack asked the universe as he sat in the Boston Commons on a bench.

He shivered at the cold, the wind stinging his exposed face forcing him to try to hide further in his coat.

He watched as two boys played catch with a football. The wind whipping it around. The laces flashing through the cold air. The boys shaking their hands as the hard leather stung their gloveless hands.

And he knew that despite how cold his body was, his heart was even colder.

_They act like brothers,_Zack thought as his eyes refocused on the boys.

Talking to each other. Smiles. One teaching the other how to grip the laces for a tighter thrown spiral. Tackling, Tickling, Laughter. An arm around the shoulders. A noogie to the head.

Brotherhood. Zack's heart breaks as he watches them walk away.

_My brother…where are you?_

Zack shuddered as he remembered how his attempt to get Cody back backfired. Catastrophically.

_It took me two hours to get it back together. Getting the wrinkles and the folds out of the birth record and the photos. Checking for cracks in the toys. Putting stuff in folders. Putting tape on Cody's artwork from school. Checking for holes in the stuffed animals. Not shaking or getting tears or snot on any of it._

Zack prayed Travis did not come while he was doing this so he could still have a chance at saving his memories.

_Fat chance at that. And I caused everything to go wrong. I'm so stupid._

Zack looked at his watch and sadness eclipsed him even more.

He couldn't believe it had only been a week. It felt like so much longer since the argument, since he had hope.

Before his brother was afraid, unsure and buried beneath a web of lies. But, there was still something there, something Zack could hold onto.

But now…nothing.

They didn't talk to each other the whole week, just ignored each other despite living in the same room.

Zack felt a couple tears fall down his cheek.

_Why did Cody have to take it out on me? He goes and destroys everything then ignores me like I am not even there._

Zack's fist hit the bench.

_Why did I even try? What's the point of it? I just messed up anyway? Just as in school. Maybe he does not want to be Cody?.. Maybe I should just accept this new person. I feel like I lost half of myself when I look at him. Maybe it's better for both of us to accept this person so the pain may go away... _

_No, I just can't!_

Zack could feel the tears welling up inside him as memories flowed from the past causing his chills to increase. He wrapped his arms around himself to try to warm up, but the warmth of the jacket just couldn't reach the chill of his soul.

_I need Cody to be Cody. If not for Cody, then for me. Just to prove that man wrong._

Zack's mind forced an image from his past into his eyes. Zack became colder at the sight.

_Just to prove to what that man said was wrong. All I want is for my brother to come back. Even if no one will want me, if Cody is with me and safe, I'll be okay._

Zack wiped his eyes getting himself back under control.

An image of a woman appeared in front of his eyes.

_Why didn't I tell her about everything?_

Though he knew it wouldn't really matter since he'd probably be leaving in a few months. He had learned not to get close to these foster parents when he'd leave them so soon.

And with her being royalty, he knew it would be pointless. She didn't really care, she was just good at putting on an act like all those people. He wondered what it would be like having servants and not having to worry about new clothes or hot meals or having someone to love you. He wished he could have a life like that.

He wondered though what she'd do if he really did tell her everything. Probably just ignore him, but maybe, just maybe she'd help.

He remembered how she looked at him with that penetrating gaze that seemed to pry into his very soul. If she asked him anything with that gaze, he knew he couldn't lie. Despite the kindness she had shown, he knew she could make him disappear with a single word. Besides, why would someone like her want to help a kid like him, someone with no future?

* * *

"What a day," the man said as he walked down the street, ready for just a few seconds of rest but with the way the day had been going, he knew that would be unlikely as he thought about the chaos so far and knowing the day was only half over.

_First, Esteban almost took out a guest with the rolling luggage cart. That's twice in two weeks! I almost want to fire him… I don't have the heart to. He does get the job done even if he's a little klutzy. He kind of reminds of myself way back when._

The man smiled as his mind traveled back to a man with a voluminous 'fro.

_A lot has changed since then._

He then set his gaze upon all the people running in and out all the time. He longed for the days when the hotel was calmer and the manticoreans weren't staying there.

The man's face tightened and a groan rose out of his throat.

_Why me?... Mr. Tipton was ecstatic when he heard some of them were staying here. I guess he saw dollar signs when he told me to treat them like kings…Does he realize how difficult that can be? I mean really that tree cat alone is enough to give me hives. The paparazzi all over the place. People running out of the place at all hours are driving me crazy. Ken had to run out just this morning saying he had to go somewhere. Who knows what that was about?_

And if that wasn't enough, the security around made the hotel almost inhuman.

The man sighed.

Though he was thankful that crime had disappeared since they came here, but would have rather had things back to normal.

A little girl ran across his path chasing after a rubber ball. The girl noticed the man, smiled, picked up the ball and ran back to where she came from.

The man smiled as he watched the girl.

…_London…where has that little girl gone?_

Sadly that sweet little girl had turned into a hotel heiress who people who don't know her see as a selfish spoiled heiress only caring about herself.

_Her father…Wilfred Tipton. _The man was annoyed at best, disgusted at worst as his mind's mention of the name.

_That little girl I met when she was 8 to explain to her about her father not being there. I remember helping her with Christmas donations and going with her to the homeless shelter. I could see her eyes light up as the other children and the parents thanked her for helping them. Watching and practically raising her filled my heart with joy…and disappointment._

The man stopped and wiped a tear from his eye.

_That girl had a heart of gold but her father was so busy, he put business ahead of his daughter. No wonder London acts how she does. Shopping all the time, making fun of everyone, school difficulty…_

The man's heart warmed as he thought of the young woman who he thought as a daughter….._But I know that little girl is inside somewhere…_

_Then there's the matter of finding who keeps messing around the stuff around the hotel._

The man looked up as he approached an intersection. In front of him was a bench with a small blond haired boy on it. A boy that looked very familiar…

"Zack?"

The boy looked up at the man with a curious expression on his face. The man thought the boy could have been crying.

"Mr. Moseby?" The boy's voice creaked from stress.

_I wonder what's wrong with him?_

Moseby nodded to Zack, who looked with wide eyes at Moseby then looked around to see if anyone was nearby. There wasn't.

"What are you doing here?" Zack asked Moseby, who thinly smiled.

"I could ask you the same question."

Moseby saw Zack's eyes avoid him and they swerved and focused on the walkway borders.

"Nothing. Just…you know getting a breath of fresh air."

"Fresh air, huh? I guess that makes two of us. Well if you are sure, I'll leave you to it. Have a nice day Zack."

Moseby walked past the boy on his way back to the hotel.

"Wait!"

Moseby turned around and saw Zack with a twisted expression as if he wished he didn't call out to him.

_I remember meeting him the first time, a day after he arrived at the hotel. I thought he was going to be a menace. But he was the opposite. Quiet….Too quiet._

Moseby winced when he remembered an exception.

_There was that time where he screamed at us. He was definitely not a little boy; he was something else, something full of pain and suffering. What he suffered in his young life was enough…. Wait… Could it be that?_

"Well… it has to do with someone I know."

"Who?"

Again Zack's eyes darted around but this time, his hands wringed themselves.

"It has to do with a boy, Travis."

"That boy who moved in with you a couple of weeks ago?" Zack nodded at Moseby's question.

"We had a fight and we haven't talked to each other since. I mean we sleep in the same room but we can't talk to each other."

Moseby could see Zack's fist tighten as he said this.

"People fight all the time Zack."

Zack paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"You don't understand, Mr. Moseby, Travis is my brother."

Moseby could hear the sadness in his voice.

"You don't seem surprised by that." Zack's voice broke through Moseby's reflection.

"I am not for the simple reason is that I suspected it for a while." Zack's eyebrows rose almost into his hair. Moseby continued.

"Remember when you yelled at Maddie, myself, Ken and Joanna? When you mentioned your brother? Afterward Ken gave me a very brief history but it was enough to tell me why you felt the way you did."

Zack's eyes darkened at the mention of the event showing how bad he felt about that event even though it was several weeks ago.

Moseby's heart went out to the boy. _I'm sorry, my boy. There's a reason for this, _Moseby thought as the dark clouds crowded Zack's face as he nodded.

"There's that and the fact is Zack, my experience in the hospitality industry allows me to notice people who look quite similar to one another" Zack looked at Moseby directly when he said this.

"Between your eyes and faces you're almost identical and if the boy changed his hair from honey mist auburn hair to blond, you would be twins."

Moseby saw Zack's eyes collapse to the ground and knew how right he was.

_It must have been bad between them._

"If his name is Cody, then why did you call him Travis?"

"Because even though he is back with me, he refuses to answer to Cody. The fight we had was when I tried to use one of his favorite things to change him back to Cody. But instead he started to take it out on me and stomped on the object I tried to change him with." Moseby could hear the anguish searing the boy's tone.

_It's worse than I imagined._

"I'm so stupid. I don't see why I tried to do it in the first place. It hurts so much…"

Moseby sat on the bench next to Zack, who moved slightly to the other end.

"It's because you care about him so much. You can't live without him, can you?"

Zack sat there for a few seconds wrapping his arms around himself. Then his head shook sharply.

"Never ever. He's my twin. I would almost die." Moseby saw Zack tremble with the reaction. "But what would you know about it? Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Zack's voice went from soft to hard with anger by the end.

He knew that Zack wasn't angry at him, but at his own powerlessness. He thought of his own brother and knew how to get to Zack.

"As a matter of fact, I do have an older brother who I fought with when I was your age."

"You did?" Zack's voice was shocked. Moseby confirmed the boy's question and smiled.

Moseby showed Zack a picture of two men smiling, one shorter than the other. Zack looked at it with an engrossed expression.

"You see my brother, Spencer had two issues. One he was he lactose-intolerant…"

Zack's face had a confused look on it.

"He had to avoid certain dairy food or else there would bad situations. His other issue he was short."

"Short as in money? Zack asked him interested.

"No as in height" Moseby corrected him. "He's about your height now"

Zack snorted in laughter until Moseby glared at him

"He's was constantly picked on for it as a child. Bullies pushing him around, calling him an imp or an ant. It was never ending cycle, trying to protect him."

_I still remember that baby cup someone had snuck into his lunch bag at lunch and the roaring laughter everyone had. There was that time he fell asleep under a tree and someone had put a baby bib around his neck. I got it off before he woke up but not before a picture was taken. Oh the humiliation. Then there was the stuffed animal someone put into his locker at school. It fell out right in front of his girlfriend as he was seeing at the time. He looked like he was going to die on the spot._

_Still Spencer did not let them get to him and he's rich now._

Zack's voice penetrated his thoughts.

"Yeah that's what I did for Cody when we were younger. He was so sensitive. And sad sometimes. A little afraid at night. He and I would sleep in the same bed during a thunderstorm. Moving around so much did not help, you know? People were making fun of us and I just could not take that. He was my brother and I care about him."

"Especially since your…em.. well?"

"Our parents died?...Yeah. I would do anything for him. Make sure he had right clothes and socks for school without any holes in them. Hold him when he was crying. Anything…"

_Their bond is so strong; no wonder he's hurting so bad._

Moseby looked away from Zack for a second.

_Did I hear a sniffle?_…_.No…Maybe._

"My brother went through a lot with the bullies, Zack. Not including the fact that both of us had to make sure he stayed away from cheese or else he could have had gas issues." Zack almost smirked at that. "But even with all that, he still became a business man. He never let all that prevent from becoming what he wanted."

"But it didn't affect him at all?"

"I don't know we never really talked about it but it would not surprise me if it did. I think he used it as motivation."

"Are you happy about what he became?" asked Zack.

_Happy that he became a successful businessman while I had to work as a bellboy and work my way up to manager of a successful hotel chain to deal with demanding guests and rotten kids. Oh yes, very happy._

"Sometimes," Moseby responded mysteriously.

Zack gave him an interrogating look but Moseby shook his head.

"What I mean, Zack, is the fact even through the fights and there were many as all siblings fight, I always cared for him. He was my brother and always will be. No matter the quarrels between us."

"But Cody doesn't even recognize that he is my brother," Zack cried out.

_Oh Zack_. Moseby thought. His eyes shimmered as he looked at the forlorn boy.

"Not at all?" The man asked the boy sadly. The boy nodded.

"I'm sorry Zack. I don't know how it feels to lose a brother like that. However I can offer one suggestion: Be there for him. Are there some ways he still acts like your brother?"

"He likes school and always finishes his homework. He's quiet and not very loud."

"Well at least he's not totally gone."

"I know but it still hurts looking at him know he's my brother but he does not act like it."

Moseby stayed quiet, not knowing how to response to it with any justice.

"I don't know if I can deal with all this." Desperation jolted the air.

"I know this, Zack. Your brother is alive and he is living with you. Some part of him knows you. Some part of him knows you care about it. Some part of him knows you love him. Eventually I have a feeling he will come around."

"I hope so."

Zack got up and Moseby watched him leave.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to the Tipton. I have stuff to think about. Thanks Mr. Moseby"

Zack walked away but suddenly turned around.

"Ah, Mr. Moseby?"

Moseby looked at the boy who was twitting his thumbs and looking at the ground.

"Um, you know the incident around the hotel with things moved around and slightly damaged?"

"Yes?" Anxiety filled Marian's voice, almost begging Zack to continue and stop at the same time.

"Well….I did it." Zack's voice went high and faster. "I did it because of Cody and school and everything. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry"

Moseby's vain in his temple popped out.

_Ahhhh!_Was the one sound running though his mind at that mind._Stupid, annoying, dang kid! Why did it have to be him. Just after I helped him._

_Must calm down. I must calm down, _Moseby thought to himself_._

_There!... my pulse is slowing and my blood pressure is going down._

Moseby opened his eyes. He saw Zack looking at him with apprehension and nervousness on his face. He sighed and cleared his face.

"Zack, I accept you apology for everything. However, what you did caused me a lot of trouble. And there were enough things to deal with originally"

Zack's head lowered at the sound of Moseby's rigid tone, whose structure was enforced by the anger lurking underneath.

"Given what you have been though does give you some leeway for your actions, but you still destroyed hotel property. As a result, I will have to bill your room for the damages." Zack's head shot up at this but Moseby steamed on.

"I am sure there won't be any more damages caused by you for a little while?" Moseby's narrowed by the end into slits.

"Yes, sir," Zack's voice was strong as he answered.

Moseby nodded and watched the boy walk back toward the hotel and refocused on the issues thrown onto him by his job.

* * *

A door opened in the suite and out walked a honey mist auburn haired boy. He walked past the couches and tables and into the kitchen. He stopped and looked around the deserted suite where he had lived for the past two weeks or so.

_I wonder, where's Zack?_

He remembered the past week's events. The quiet. The stillness. The loneliness.

He remembered Zack not talking to him after he yelled at him and destroyed his brother's stuff.

He remembered the look on Zack's face before he left the room. He looked broken and his arms were around his legs while Zack gazed up at him.

_What is about his eyes that bother me? The way I damaged them with what I did? I didn't mean to yell and get so angry, but when he thought I was his brother, I just exploded. I turned into something different. Something horrible. Something I didn't like._

_I want to say I'm sorry to him but I'm sure he hates me. And if I try, I'm sure he'll just reject me. He was so nice to me before, but it wasn't like that was all my fault. I mean I know he made a mistake thinking I was him, right?_

Travis's got a headache just thinking about that afternoon and the mistaken identity Zack made. The headache almost overwhelmed Travis to the point where he put his forehead on the counter until the pain went away.

_He did. I am who I am and Zack is who he is. I hope wherever his brother is, he's alright._

Travis looked around to see what was available for a snack.

_We are both at fault for the argument. Zack for suggesting it and me for getting angry like I did. I still feel bad about though even if he did start it. Maybe I can do something to make him forgive me._

Travis froze for a second.

He smiled as an idea flashed through his mind and he began moving as fast as he could.

* * *

"Are you alright? You seemed really quiet ever since you got back from answering that call this morning."

Ken looked at his girlfriend, Joanna as both had just gotten out of the elevator on their floor.

"Sorry. I just had a lot to think about today and it still slightly overwhelming me a little." Ken gripped the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a second. Both adults then continued to walk down the hallway for a second.

"Like what?" Joanna asked patiently.

Ken stopped and looked at her. He then looked down the hallway. It was empty of any other people besides the two adults. And the four members of the Queen's Battalion in civilian clothing. The two standing at Joanna's shoulder and the two others now stationed on at the end of the hallway by their suite's door with a clear view of everything in the hallway.

_Oh and let's not forget, a clear shot at anyone even thinking of causing any issues. After all with Joanna here, _Ken thought with low humor,_we would not want anyone near her who could threaten her life, now do we? But I have to wonder who would have to clean up the blood afterward?_

He mentally shrugged and shook off the dark pattern of thoughts.

_Jeez, I'm still recovering from that grizzly scene in the cell block._

Ken shook his hunched shoulders, ignoring the weird look from Joanna and smiled slightly and started to speak.

"Well the call was a detective on Travis's case." Ken looked to see Joanna's eyes start to widen at the reference.

"It turns out…." Ken realized his voice was going quiet. He pushed past his uneasiness of revealing what he knew to his girlfriend. "It turns out Cody's abusers were found dead this morning."

Ken saw that Joanna had her reaction under control.

_For how long how I wonder…._

"They suffered some…terrible injuries before they died."

"Do I have to pull teeth out of you to get the answer?" Joanna asked.

Ken almost flinched at her calm but demanding question. He nodded and motioned for her and the armsmen to come closer. He described in detail what he saw at the prison. When he saw done, stunned eyes and pales faces met his own.

Joanna had one hand flat against the wall supporting herself while Sergeant Ronald Cummings stood beside ready to make sure nothing untoward happened to her.

Ken looked at the scene sadly and regretted telling them what happened.

_Now how do I tell Joanna about a certain visit while visiting Travis for the first time. _Ken looked at the scene. _Not now definitely. We all have had enough today._

A slow rumble sounded off in the air. Alexander's ears perked up as did everyone's heads. Then a stampede of sounds of clashes vibrating the walls.

_Well if anyone was asleep before, they are definitely awake now._

Ken's mind wiped it from his mind as he consciously realized his feet would already bring the rest of body toward the suite door. The walls became blurred as the four piece human train and one tree cat moved toward their destination. The two armsmen stationed at the far end of the hallway were already at the door swiping their security card in the lock.

Claws went through the padding in his shoulder as Alexander dug from a grip to prevent himself from falling during the human dash to the door.

The door was already open and Ken dashed inside. One of the armsmen had his weapon drawn but pointed the ground.

_Corporal Scott McClain, I think his name is._

Ken gave an instant look to the dark brown haired teal eyed arms men before looking around the suite. Ken passed the slender armsmen and approached the kitchen.

There he found chaos. Pots, pans, silverware, food and other items all over the floor. The other armsman, who was covering the far end of the hallway, was kneeling on the floor.

Armsmen Karl Velazquez was built like a tank. More wide than tall. Still he was slightly taller than Ken's Five and a half foot frame but still shorter then Joanna by two inches.

_Not bad for a person who grew up on a higher gravity planet. I guess what they give up for height; they get back in muscle mass._

Ken turned around and saw Joanna and the other arms men were in the room with Joanna walking up to him and looking at the center of destruction.

In the middle of broken china, shattered and cracked glass, still moving and vibrating pans and slightly bent silverware was a boy. Travis.

An upended chair was a few away from him near two open sets of cabinets. The reason obvious. Boxes and bags of sugary and salty food along with sugar, flour and honey surrounded the boy and covered him as well.

* * *

_I am so much trouble…This is going to hurt really bad._

Travis was hurting from the fall. The pain from the back of his head hurt the most. But all the pain in the world could not override what he felt first.

Fear. Paralyzing fear. Fear that freezes the soul and the blood and forces the gears of time to stop in place.

"Travis, are you alright? What happened?

_That's Ken. Oh no. He's angry at me._

Travis could not open his eyes. Out of fear.

Travis felt his heart race, so fast that it was going to explode any second, he just new it. And as much as he tried to calm it, it kept beating faster and faster.

He could feel every blood vessel rocketing through his body.

Every foot step sounded like an army matching. Every crunching sound hurt his ears. Every voice sounded like an air horn.

Travis covered his ears and buried his face in his hands and knees waiting for the punishment to come.

* * *

"Travis?" Ken called out. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Ken lowered himself to the boy's level and leaned forward.

"Ken!" Joanna spoke softly but quickly.

Ken looked up and saw what attracted her attention. Travis was shaking…No, not shaking, quaking. From head to toe.

"What happened?" The adults turned to see Zack in the doorway looking at the scene. Three adults surrounding a little boy who was covered in who knows what. A little boy who was quaking violently in his shoes and clothes.

"What did you do to him?" Zack's voice filled the room with his high pitched voice. Anger evident, his face red, he narrowed his eyes and locked onto his roommate.

Zack moved in a whirlwind and appeared at Travis's side faster than the adults could follow. He touched Travis gently, but the sensation caused him to shake even worse. His nostrils flared as he looked at the quivering mass of skin, bones, cotton and denim on the floor covered in powdery materials.

His eyes found his targets. The adult now looking at both of them. In their eyes, both twins-one lost the other now livid. Tension rose in the room as muscles tensed and adrenaline pumped in their bloodstreams.

"Zack" Joanna was the first to speak. "We were in the hallway when we heard the crash of everything to the floor. All of us. Travis was alone. We rushed to him and found everything almost exactly as it now. We were trying to find out what happened. Okay? No one has hurt him."

Zack's eyes bolted toward Joanna for the entire time. Slowly and surely, his face returned to its normal color as he looked between the boy and adults next to him. His breathing slowed down, his shaking ceased and his pupils went from dilated to normal.

Zack looked at Joanna for confirmation and his shoulders lowered when she nodded with a small smile.

Ken looked at her with a thankful smile.

"Travis?" Ken tried to reach out to the boy again.

But nothing. Until…

"I'm sorry." A tiny sound originated from the living mass of fear on the ground.

"Why are you sorry?" Joanna came closer to Travis, whose face was barely off his raised knees that his arms were wrapped around.

"For breaking your stuff… Please don't hurt me…I'll do anything you want if you don't hit me….Please let me replace them?" Travis's voice begged for mercy but his body still shook.

"Travis, we told you before, we won't hit you. You don't have to replace anything. Don't you believe us?" Ken asked the boy with a completely sympathetic tone.

"No, I was a bad boy. I destroyed some of your stuff that you let me use. I deserve to be punished."

"No, Travis, it was an accident. Accidents happen sometimes. You are not a bad boy. You reached up too high and lost your balance, am I right?" Joanna asked him and he nodded. The group held a mixture of shock and anger on their faces as they listened to the boy respond to their questions.

_It's almost as if he completely believes what he is saying._Ken thought with astonishment._How could a child believe he deserves punishment for an act that could happen to anyone, even me?_

"Why do you believe this, Travis?" Ken asked the boy.

"Because they told me so."

"Who are they?" Joanna asked.

"My father and his friend" Travis answered with a shivering tone. Then he continued. "They said because I was a bad boy, I deserved to be punished and that means getting hit with anything or being hurt in any way .They said adults and authority figures are always right. When they hurt me, it's for my own good because I have been bad. Therefore it must be my fault because I have been bad. You hitting me is punishment, I deserve it. I am as bad as whatever is being done to me. I am bad because I have been hurt." Travis's voice was robotic when he finished as he was rehearsing something.

Ken's insides tore themselves up as he listened to the boy. His soul burned with passion as hot as lava. His rage filled with hatred toward the two adults who hurt the boy in front of him so bad that he believed their lies. After a few seconds, he forced the anger away and never let it touch the mask on his face.

Ken leaned forward slowly and touched the side of Travis's face. Rivers of tears ran down his foster son's face as he did so. His head trying to get away from the contact but unable to do so and shaking even more.

"I'm sorry, please don't hurt me. I'm sorry I flinched. I could not help it. I promise I won't do it again. Please don't punch me or kick me or throw me."

Ken's anger almost came back at the sound of the boy's agonizing plea. But he continued to shove it away before it revealed itself.

"Please don't hit me…I'm sorry…I'm sooorrryy" Travis's voice broke and went quiet. Water still flowing freely from his eye sockets.

"I promised you I would never hit you and I keep my promises." Ken gently moved Travis's head with two of his fingers so he look into his eyes. However, the boy's eyes refused to look into his.

"I'm sorry for what they put you through. It's not fair or reasonable for any child to be treated like you were. It's revolting and inhumane. Fortunately you will never have to worry about those two men hurting you again."

"What? Why? "Zack's response jolted Travis's head with a ghost white look as if he had not seen his roommate before.

Ken's eyes focused on Travis's face as he spoke. "Both died early this morning in a fight. They were in a brawl with several inmates in prison and they died of their injuries."

"How do you know?" Zack asked softly. Almost too softly because Ken could barely hear him.

"Because I saw the bodies myself. They are quite dead."

* * *

Travis heard the words but could process them.

_They are dead…they are dead…they are dead._

His mind was on constant stop and rewind.

But suddenly Ken's voice broke through.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Travis could only nod, his mouth and throat were too dry and scratchy from the crying. His breathing had returned to normal and the crying had stopped.

"Good, don't you worry about the cleanup, we will take care of it. Besides things like the plates and food can replaced rather easily. Why don't you lie down, huh?"

Travis could only nod again. He felt a pull on his arm and turned his head. Zack had both his hands on his arm and helped him up.

Travis immediately fell into the other boy.

Though he immediately pulled back from the contact.

_He's probably still angry at me from our argument._

Travis looked in the other boy's eyes for a brief second.

_Wait, there's no anger at all. I see only sincerity, kindness… and love? Why does he feel that way towards me? _Travis shook off the thought, relieved his roommate and friend (if he was lucky) was not angry at him.

"I'm sorry, Zack."

Zack looked down at his roommate with truth in his eyes.

"Sorry for what?"

"Sorry for yelling at you and throwing your stuff and stomping on everything" Travis's shoulders slumped as he finished and looked toward the ground.

Zack put a hand on his left shoulder.

"I'm sorry too. For being cold to you, for ignoring you and for pushing you." Zack squeezed his shoulder.

Both boys' eyes met and contentment reigned in all four eyes.

Travis let Zack put an arm around his waist and help him walk. The contact and pressure a welcome sensation which surprised him. He normally hated being touched but there was something different about Zack.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he heard Zack say. "You look like a ghost or a powdered donut." He thought he heard a chuckle when Zack said it. "Or a ghost of a powdered donut."

Both boys walked toward their shared room, careful to avoid causing an even bigger mess but with the flower and sugar on one of them, it was useless. Both were so focused on each other, they missed the looks of hope and relief on the faces of the adults they left behind.

* * *

**Well that chapter worked out pretty good. A little longer then expected but still came out as planned. Anyway thanks for the reviews and reads so far. They are greatly appreciated and I love talking to you about the story and any questions you have. As always read and review please. Any questions you can PM me as always.**

**A huge thanks to woundedhearts. Your reviews honestly gave me a new prospective and viewpoint of the story. I always love how different reviewers concentrate on different things that pique their interest. It amazes what they recommend and enrich my writing experience. Sometimes, they trigger or reinforced new ideas or plots I had never even thought about or pushed to the side. In the end, they make me a better writer, so thanks to you all again.**


	15. The mask cracks

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life and the Honor Harrington Series. I do own the story, Ken, Alexander and the arms men.**

**I like to thank Darkelements10 and Tiger002 for betaing this chapter.**

A boy's feet were sticking out of the covers as the wind whirled around the outside of his room barricading it from the outside. His eyes were focused on the empty bed across from him where another child just like him slept just a short time earlier. The boy had been tossing and turning all night long, struggling to find the perfect warm spot under the covers for which to wonder off to dreamland.

It was fruitless.

His mind was unable to calm itself, the same words endlessly repeating through his head.

_They are dead….They are dead…They are dead. No it can't be possible._

_How?…It can't be true._

Travis started to walk toward the small living room, memories overwhelming him.

He walked past the dinner table and paused something on the table catching his eye.

The national news section of the Boston Globe was sitting on top. The crime page was partially sticking at a forty five degree angle. Travis pulled slightly on the concealed page, curiosity beckoning him.

His eyes wondered the black and white typed rag until a headline shot him in the heart.

**TWO DEATHS IN PRISON FIGHT.**

HARRISBURG, Pa -Two men died early yesterday morning in Dauphine County Prison after a fight between over a dozen prisoners during a transfer. The two deaths resulted after guards were unable to stop the conflict in time. The deaths are the first prison deaths in Pennsylvania in more than two years. Sources inside the prison report that the two prisoners were singled out by over a dozen others and were pronounced dead when authorities arrived.

Anonymous sources inside the investigation say the two men were recently put in jail for child abuse of an 11-year male….

Travis reread the article again.

_That could be anyone…_

Travis looked around and saw the computer on Ken's desk was still upright.

_It's still on…I know I shouldn't… but I have to know…_

Travis sat in the chair and looked at the screen, his hands shacking, knowing he'd be in trouble if Ken caught him. But he prayed for luck and began clicking on the icons his need to know overcoming his fear..

_Everything requires a password…Wait what about the internet?_

"Bull's-eye"

The computer went to a search engine and Travis quickly typed the headline. He then clinked on an article. It read the same as the article in the newspaper. But this time, mug shot photos accompanied the article….

The photos were Travis's "father" and his friend.

_Its true…I can't believe it….It's true._

Travis dazedly walked into his shared bedroom still trying to comprehend the situation.

"My hopes, my dreams, my father. They are all gone now. I have no one…What about Ken and Joanna? What will they think of me now? What about Zack?" Travis's mind whirled in fear of the unknown.

He knew this home wouldn't last long. They weren't his family, they didn't truly love him. Maybe they were sometimes nice, and Travis did like them, but he knew it was only a matter of time before it ended.

And now, the only constant he had in his life, his father, had been murdered.

He couldn't believe it.

He wanted to crawl into a ball, cry, and let all the world drift away. Let this horrible nightmare fade, and wake up in a home where his father wasn't dead and everything was set right. Having his father smile, laugh, and hug him again again instead of screaming and hitting him as a result of stupid mistakes on his part. Away from the torment of loneliness and toward the happiness of friendship. Away from the chilly house and the worn clothes and toward warm fulfilling dreams which for some, never get to accomplish. He was now one of them.

Suddenly a roaring pain overwhelmed the boy. He latched onto his head, trying to calm the inferno that seemed to rage in his brain.

He fell to the ground, his body unable to hold him up as he was reduced to a quaking mass on the floor. He couldn't comprehend any of this, the pain overwhelming every thought, every action as he cried, just begging for it to stop.

He feels like he's being broken in half, and closes his eyes, trying to fade from the excruciating sensation.

The boy tries to rub his head but it is futile as the pain just increases.

The boy could feel the endless tears covering his cheek in an ocean of wetness and a thousand needles seemed to be prying into his head.

"Why is this happening?" he cried out to no one, just hoping that he might be fortunate enough for someone to come.

He tried curling into the fetal position, trying to defend from the undefendable.

But this didn't stop the pain.

No, it just increased, his eyes felt like they were being smashed, his brain felt like it was going to explode, and his whole body felt as if it was being torn in a thousand different directions.

The boy started to shake for a few seconds, unable to control his body, just desperate for some relief to come.

But after a brief moment, Travis stopped and faded from consciousness.

* * *

A few moments passed and the form on the floor moved slowly. Its head lifted off the carpeted floor while its eyes attempted to refocus on the surrounding environment.

He gazed around trying to find some memory in this land of strange sights.

The boy looked around and saw two beds, two dressers, a table along with a wooden door and two other doors in the back along with two closets and a hanging TV and a DVD player sitting on a shelf bolted to the wall.

"Wow, one side is dirty while the other is almost clean. How odd?"

He started walking toward the cleaner side, feeling somehow drawn to it, but turned once he caught something that seemed off.

He stared at the semi-opened closet door across the room, curiosity demanding he walk over to it.

Part of him knew this was wrong, that he shouldn't pry into people's stuff, but he felt something pulling him. A magnetic force he couldn't ignore dragged him until he was beside the wardrobe.

His eyes glanced upon a narrow mirror, the reflection intriguing him.

The boy turned his head sideways to see if the movement matched and realized it did. He looked at himself, touched his hand to his face, taking in his image. It fascinated him, as he reliezed he had no memory of what he looked like.

"What's that sound?" The boy asked if heard a sound come from out of nowhere. He looked down and realized he was hungry.

His mind now focused on food, he abandoned the closet and the mirror and journeyed into the kitchen. He opened one of the cabinets and found the cereal and grabbed a bowl from under the sink.

The boy stopped for a second look at the cereal and then at the kitchen.

_How did I know that was there? I have a feeling…No I know where everything is in here. It's like I have been here for a while but that's impossible? Isn't it?_

The boy took in how strange this was as he slowly ate his breakfast. He was amazed at how routine this was, as if he had eaten at this very table, this very meal, many times before.

As his mind wondered, a newspaper caught his eye...

_I have seen this newspaper before_

He felt his heart start racing, adrenaline coursed through his veins. His body prepared itself, but for what, the boy didn't know.

For a moment, he thought it was fear but…

He felt his lips form into a smile.

He felt relief…

Happiness…

Even joy.

His eyes drew over the printed type and his skin began to crawl. A chill raced down his spine as he began reading

Vague images appeared in front of his eye. Emotions ran through his soul. A shadow covered his sight. An almost formless entity was lying on the floor. The boy could hear crying from it. Sadness overwhelmed the boy as the scene played out. Just the form on the floor filled him with emotion, nearly brining him to tears. The boy felt scared as he viewed another figure walk into the scene. The form on the floor was crawling away from this new taller form but soon was prevented from leaving by a barrier. Soon the taller form left the smaller form alone, who raised his knees to its chest and was in a fetal position. Soon the image faded.

The boy realized he was back at the table shaking. He pushed his food away and lost his appetite. He touched his face.

_Tears?...I was crying. _

He felet like he had seen it before, the imagines in his head were just so real. He hoped it was just a day dream, a nightmare, anything but reality.

But as he hoped, his stomach began turning, as if he was going to puke.

As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew that the image was reality, and his body shook at the thought.

After a few moments, the boy got up and returned to the room where he woke up.

The boy returned to the closet, deciding to focus on something he could actually see and touch.

The boy shook his head at pile of clothes on the floor hating how big of a mess everything was and had to restrain himself from picking them up and organizing them.

The youngster delved deeper into the collection of clothing, shoes, hangers and who knows what else until he saw three normal boxes on the floor. Too normal of boxes.

Two names appeared on the boxes in worn, semi-faded permanent marker.

Zack and Cody.

The boy's eyes narrowed as the words sunk into his memory.

He felt as if the words were tapping on his shoulder. He knew the names, they were a part of his very soul, but he still couldn't place them. It was as if he had all the pieces of a puzzle but didn't see the picture they should make.

He just hoped the content of the boxes would hold the memories he needed.

The boy dragged the boxes out of the closet and gently opened them.

He first pulled a file out of the box.

"Cody Martin? I know that name!"

The boy lay on the bed and opened the file, making sure not to dishevel the flatten sheets and comforter too much.

The boy looked through the file, recognizing the date and location of birth. His eyes veered to the opposite page and the picture stapled to the page. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he recognized the face in the picture.

"It's me…Or someone who looks like me. He certainly looks like me with the exception of the hair color." The boy stopped for a second and then shook his head. He noticed his darker hair color was starting to fade and become lighter.

"Maybe I am him. But if I am, then why did I not remember who I was earlier?"

The name sounded familiar like worn leather but he could not be too sure. He pushed the thought aside for now and continued his search, not willing to believe anything for certain just yet.

"So I wonder who lives with me? Or should I say this Cody. Maybe he's rich or something? I mean who can live a hotel for a while since all the clothes in the closet indicate whoever lived here has been here a while?"

His eyes searched the documents and found the section marked Family. He read the first two parts and his body started to shake.

He reread it several times, not able to take in, or willing believe everything it was saying.

He saw that Cody's parents died when he was five, making him a foster child. His heart went out for that little boy but his curiosity didn't let him dwell on this for long.

"But who does he live with?"

He got up and looked around the suite to find several pictures with two adults in it with smiles on their faces and love in their eyes and a strange creature on the man's shoulder.

He knew them…or more like knew that he knew them, but couldn't be sure that he could trust them. They seemed to live here, and therefore must let him live here too. For a second he thought they might be his parents, but they looked nothing like him. He wanted to trust them, to believe in him, but a part of him was still afraid.

His eyes then turned to the strange creature, it was like a lemur, but had six legs. He smiled, somehow feeling comfortable with it, even though he wasn't sure why.

He looked around the kitchen and found a note. It said they would be out for an hour or so. They went shopping. Signed Ken and Joanna.

"I suppose that's the adults who live here."

The boy looked further down Cody's foster history file but his heart stopped as a phase shouted out at him.

"Family-Zack Martin-brother-same birth date."

He sat there for a brief second, just reading that line, unable to comprehend, unable to think, unable to even breath.

But then the words registered and he knew what he had to do.

He tore through the papers, finally finding a folder with that name, hastily opened it and saw a picture, one etched into the deepest recesses of his mind.

"He looks like me… Could he be my twin?" The boy looked up for a few seconds and then back down at the folder.

"It does not make sense. Unless…" He sat down in front of the boxes.

He touched them. The rough cardboard a barrier between him and his answers. Curiosity filled him as he wondered about the treasure-trove of information stuffed inside, his conscious telling him that he shouldn't pry, but he shook his head brushing it aside. Finally he opened the flaps and looked inside.

A flash of red caught his eye first, causing him to pull the soft object out of the box.

"A blanket." The boy was confused and unfolded the red felt object. "A baby blanket."

The boy dug further in the same box and revealed a matching blanket. This time it was blue.

"Twin blankets." The boy's eyes swiveled between the two objects. He folded the red one and put it on the floor and held the blue blanket in his arms, it somehow feeling like it belonged there.

The blanket rubbed against his skin and nerves fired at the sensation. The touch activated feelings of warmth, security, and calmness.

Visions appeared like ghosts in front of his eyes. A little boy with blond hair was running around with his arms out. The same blue blanket was tied around his neck and he was laughing. The sun was shining and there was not a cloud in sight. Butterflies and dandelions surrounded the child in a mist of bliss as he ran through the field.

The vision melted. Color ran down the image to the drain in the boy's head. The colors mixed until all life and meaning was gone. In its place was a dark scene. The same little boy was under the covers of his bed, crying, clutching the same blanket. Tears turned its color into an almost midnight blue. His knuckles were white as printer paper. His heart was dying, half out of fear, the other half pain. A terrible bolt of lightning lit up the sky outside his window and echoed the destruction in his life. Sudden and slashing across the fabric of life.

"Wait, what was that?" The older boy said out loud as he was recovering from the experience.

He cleared his mind. But the feelings still moved him.

"I guess it came from me, so I guess blankie is mine." The boy stopped for a second, feeling slightly embarrassed to give an inanimate object such a childish name. He swore no one would find out about it. Suddenly however, the boy realized the name felt natural. Almost something he had known for forever.

His soul felt open as if a dam had opened up and let contained water flood his soul and suddenly rivers of emotions and energy erupted inside the boy. A realization set in. Not forced but revealed as if covered by a mask. A mask of pain and fear.

"I'm Cody….I have to be. Something inside tells me so."

His hands became biological lightning as they tore through the box to continue his desperate search. He stopped when he saw a book. He opened it with tenderness. Pictures. Pages full of them.

The first one he saw was of two boys dressed as Batman and Robin for Halloween. One arm was around the shoulders of the other boy and their buckets overfilling with sugary bless, smiles as bright as the sun. They looked to be 4 or 5 at the time. He smiled as he remembered how they conquered the darkness and evil of Halloween to capture all that candy. Though the photo could only show so much. It didn't show him tripping over the cape and doing a face dive onto the ground. It didn't show his tears as he cried. It didn't show two hands helping him back up, and fixing his mask so he could still see through the spooky night.

"Those hands…" The boy who now calls himself Cody stopped to remember. He looked at the second folder on the bed and looked at the photo of the other boy.

Something clicked. In a flash, tears started to roll down in his face as the haze lowered itself from his memory.

"How could I forget him? How could I forget Zack, my twin?" He remembered it was Zack who helped him up and adjusted his mask. He remembered how Zack chased away the tears and how the both of them ran off to grab more candy.

Cody started to cry as he realized everything that had happened. Soon he got himself under control and continued his journey of remembrance.

The second picture he saw both of them dressed in their best on the first day of their new school.

_It was after our parents had died. I remember being so afraid. Afraid of the new school bus, new kids, new teachers. I almost did not want to get out of bed. I was shaking so much. I almost begged my foster parents to let me stay home._

Cody smiled as he remembered.

_Zack was there. He was always there. My constant. My foundation. Zack made sure I had a hat or gloves or the right clothes on. He did not care about himself; he was always worried about me, first._

Cody remembered the first day. Zack held his hand as they walked to their first class. Both sat next to each other, making one feel safe by the other's prescence. The warmth from the contact calming the other's nerves. Hidden or visible.

He took a deep breath before continuing.

The third picture he saw was the same two boys (_No, they are my brother and me, he told his mind_) in the picture with almost natural smiles in a pool on a hot summer day. Their heads were centimeters from touching each other.

_We were about eight then. We were each other's world. Each other's heaven and earth…_Cody felt the need to cry but stubbornly suppressed it. I _have to remember… I have to_.

He remembered the self-imposed isolation between themselves and everyone around them. A defense from the rest of the world. From the pain and the sorrow they had to endure.

He remembered Zack running around the pool deck with Cody's voice halfheartingly telling him to stop. He remembered Zack laughing. The first time he'd done it in quite a long time. He remembered the pool deck was several feet off the ground because it was near a hill.

_Zack almost slipped and fell off the deck and rolled down the hill. His arms frantically waving themselves in the air trying to balance himself. But I was able to grab the back of his bathing suit and he ended up falling on me instead. He did not say thank you but he did not have to. His eyes and smile said it for him. The hug when we were alone helped too._

But it was not all one sided.

There were the doctor visits.

He remembered the slightly paler face of his twin as he sat there waiting for the doctor. Joking about the medical instruments in the room. His eyes unable to focus. His hands slightly shaking. Cody ignoring it for Zack's sake.

He remembered Zack's fear of needles. The silver instrument poking through his skin. Zack squirming when it came close. Withdrawing when the doctor said he needed to draw blood.

He remembered how Zack gripped his arm until it became numb. How he tapped Zack's arm to distract him as the doctor's rubbed it with alcohol. How Zack's skin turned a weird shade while goose bumps punctuated the skin with hills and hairs become trees in the air. How he'd talk to Zack, asking him about that new bike or videogame he always wanted or the Celtics games from the night before. How he'd ask him about to get better at basketball or something. How he'd pinch him lightly at the same time the needle punctured his skin. How Zack would grimance for a brief second right before it ended.

And then Zack would get down, but Cody could still feel his brother's racing heart beat as it slowly calmed down.

_He was so strong. He tried to never show weakness to anyone but me_.

He gripped the red blanket on the floor.

_He believed he was too big for it. But I could tell he was fearful even though he tried to hide it…_

_Even when he was taking risks and paid for it._

Another scene pushed its way into Cody's memory.

It was fall and blustery. A storm was approaching.

Zack was scampering up a tree. Zack was always up in trees. Always trying to get a new view of the world. He always liked a physical challenge. Dirt under his fingernails. Bugs on his clothes. Splinters in his skin.

Cody was begging him to get out of the tree, though his voice was barely auidble over the howling winds of the coming squall. But Zack did not say a word or move a muscle at the sound of his twin's voice. His feet were moving in a monotone motion. Back and forth as if Zack was someplace else and not surrounded by a twin chaos of wind and the coming rain.

Zack finally moved as if the wind nearly blew him off the branch. He started to climb down, yelling at the wind for running his fun. Though he didn't see the danger coming; he slowly descended with a smile across his face. But with the rain softening the tree bark, it gave way under his weight. His feet dangled helplessly in the air, His hands unable to maintain his grip in the wood.

Cody watched as his twin fell from the tree. His body moving through the air with rang doll physics. Helpless and out of control.

Zack landed on his feet but his body twisted in the opposite direction. Tendons twisted and tore, pain flooded his nerves and ligaments torn from the right ankle. Zack grimaced as he fell to the ground, trying to hold in the tears as he lay on the ground.

_I remember screaming as I ran to him since he was on his side when I got to him. I was so scared thinking how stupid he was for staying in the tree and guilty for thinking such a thing and at the same time, worried if he broke his ankle._

Zack was put on his own bed. Cody was on the ankles of the adult who brought Zack in. So much so, Cody practically tripped him several times.

_Zack has this look of annoyance when I came in. I don't know if I was because of the injury or the way people were treating him. When his face caught me, the exasperation blew up if only for a second. It was as if my presence changed everything._

Cody summoned the memory of waiting on Zack, not allowing him to move, getting food and water and even his crutches for two weeks. Zack was the king of the TV for the time. The sensation of the ice packs on his ankle almost made him jump out of his skin. Zack became a slug as he had the "unfortunate" reality of being helped with everything until his ankle healed.

_It included getting dressed; _Cody thought and smiled at the next memory_. He absolutely hated me helping him getting out of the bathtub_. _He probably felt like a baby when I did that but I did not want him to break the ankle. I think it made us closer as brothers even through it happened in such an unusual way._

Cody looked into one of the boxes in front of him and laughed at he saw.

"Teddy. I have not seen you in quite a while." The brown bear had a small hole in its side. But it was not enough to allow stuffing to fall out. Its sown smile tried fruitlessly to counteract the black hole crushing, soul sapping woe inside both boys at the time.

"One of our foster mothers gave to it to Zack during our Christmas after our parents died." Cody's smile turned bittersweet. "He was so embarrassed when he opened the box it was in. His face was fire engine red. He refused to admit he kept it."

"But for a little while, I know he kept it under his pillow at night, just knowing it was there allowed him to sleep. That includes the time when he had the severely sprained ankle. He hid it in his backpack or under his shirt. But it fell out once and I quickly hid it before anyone noticed it. I never said a word to him about it."

Sadness enveloped Cody as his mind stopped replaying his montage of memories.

Cody felt disgusted with himself. How could he forget his own twin like that? His brother, his best friend. The one who had been with him since he was born. His protector, his hero.

Cody clenches his fists, angry at himself, caused his cheeks to turn red. He couldn't believe how he could just let Zack fade away like that.

Flashes from his hippocampus fired in front of his mind's eye. He started crying immediately.

The hand around his throat cut off the air in his throat and he started to blackout. His hands weakly hit the hand in a vain attempt to stop it. His eyes drooped to close until oxygen roared into his lungs. His back slammed into the wooden walls with a crack. Pain receptors from his back warred inside his brain with shock and automatic responses from his lungs. Cody saw stars as he sat on the floor recovering from the brush with death.

Another flash came with arctic cold sensations as Old Man Winter swept through the shack where they lived as he curled up recovering from the stench of drugs and alcohol in the building. The smell made him gag and want to vomit, but the lack of food that day only produced dry heaving and his abdominal muscles felt like they were going to walk up his throat. Tears burned as he recovered, leaning over himself but try as he could, he couldn't sleep that night.

The carpet was wet with his tears and snot as he looked up. His mind regained control. Cody looked down at the photos from before. In his pain and happiness, he realized they were the ones his abusers burned in front of him before he changed completely.

Before he became Travis.

Before he lost himself.

Now he knew what he had to do.

Find Zack.

Cody dashed into the living room. There was a note from Zack on one of the end tables next to the chairs. It said he was at the Boston Commons playing basketball.

He quickly dashed off a note to Ken and Joanna. He grabbed his jacket and a mini-umbrella.

His destination clear to him. Nothing was going to stop him now. His tears continued to fall as he opened the door and ran down the hallway and the stairs, dodging guests and employees with instinctive reflexes. Everything a blur, nothing mattering.

Except that one thing.

Zack.

His mind whirled through memories.

He saw his brother and himself crying and holding each other while they talked about their fears blanketed by the pitch black darkness and the warmed only by the heat of each other's body. The old blankets covered them in a cocoon, protecting the precious life forms from the evil outside the barrier. They could only wonder what life would throw at them next and pray they would get through it.

He saw himself on a bicycle with the wind flowing through his helmeted hair while the sun shown over his shoulder. He remembered being fearful as he balanced himself on top of the seat of the partially rusted two wheeled apparatus. The cool smooth metal under the rubber grips in which his hands sweated on while the rest of his body proceeded to sweat through his thin clothes. The sun reflecting off the metal body in his eyes and partially blinding him. The risk of being only supported by grace, balance and his own body's control terrified him because he had none of the three in any quantity.

However something gave him the courage to go on.

His brother. The person who was holding the back of the seat while he started to pedal slowly and kept telling him he can do it. He ran alongside keeping his hand on his twin's back, combating the butterflies in Cody's stomach. Then he felt the weight leave the bike. For a split second, terror almost took him but his hips, legs and feet continued bending and pivoting and moved the pedals and chains. The boy bike combo ran over stone, grass, concrete and trash as nature and human creation tried to get out of the way of this dangerous creation. A boy on a 10 speed bike on his first ride. Cody heard Zack's cheers as he continued with the momentum he created. Joy roared in his heart as Cody's fear disappeared.

The ride did not last forever.

Cody's front wheel twisted as he tried to avoid running over a squirrel. The concrete sidetrack shot up into his path and he turned too late to avoid it. Before he realized it, his legs lost contact with the pedals while the front wheel swerved violently. Cody's shoe laces intermixed with the chains. The results were obvious. Cody was torn from the bike and thrown to the ground, shoes tied with the gears. His face grazed the steel wire fence. Hands, elbows, knees and face all became covered in stones, scratches, dirt and cuts. Cody cried as shock poured into his system.

His brother was there in an instant, holding him for a second before asking for help but never leaving his side. Zack slowly but gently started wipe the grime from the skin. He comforted Cody, trying to get him to concentrate on something other than the pain. First Aid arrived with one of the older foster kids along one of the adults. Zack took care of everything, himself scratched and blooded many times. He ran through cloths, proxide and bandaids, cleaning out the kit all the while soothing his sibling, who stopped shaking.

_I remember that time. He was so gentle. A side I rarely saw from him. Every bandaid he put on sealed the pain away. The cartoon characters an unbreakable shield from the wounds I had. He even helped me limp inside._

Cody remembered the scene from the day before and he started to bawl his eyes out.

_Even when I was afraid, Zack was always there for me. Through pain, sorrow, cold and nightmares. Yet I got angry at him, ignored and forgot about him, that's not how a brother should act. Besides he's the only family I have left._

He cleared his mind, though knew that after what happened, some things might never be the same.

But there was one thought, hope and dream on his mind.

_I rather go through the pain those monsters put me through again then hurt Zack anymore. I'm still here Zack. I love you. Don't give up on me. I'm coming_.

**Well, a turning point perhaps? Well as always read and review. I will very happy if you did. If you questions, just PM me. Until next time**


	16. Past memories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life or the Honor Harrington Book Series.**

**I like to thank Darkelements10 and Tiger002 for betaing the chapter.**

The huge oak shivered as the cold winter winds encased the tree in almost frozen dew as it tried to recover from the rain of the last day.

It remembered all the previous winters and summers as its root grew longer and its trunk grew ever wider with the tree rings of the passing seasons' change.

It remembered as a small sapling, a group of beings celebrating in some strange manner with things on their tops. The tree wondered how it got involved with such an event. It received a name by those strange creatures: The Liberty Tree. It did not mind the name. As a matter of fact, it got used to it.

But things change.

The tree saw some of its fellow trees disappear as those creatures became more numerous and created things that were taller than the tree even as it grew over the years. Its branches reaching toward the sky as the creatures (who called themselves humans, the tree found out by listening to their noises to each other) continued changing things.

First they put themselves onto top of other creatures which allowed them to move faster than roots allowed.

_No not roots. There's can move easier than mine and they can lose contact with the earth._

After an unknown number of winters, the humans started using things that covered them in materials that were faster than the four limbed creatures.

The tree hated the loud noises these new things made along with the objects that ripped its beautiful sky apart.

The humans (_What a weird name for them_) built things that almost disappeared into the sky. It wondered how long it would last. It was afraid of dying but realized it too had its own time as witnessed by the disappearance of other trees and the arrival of the human objects.

Now the most contact he had with any humans was ones where were around during sunrise by themselves with their branches moving faster than normal and others who had these creatures with four branches that touched the ground. The creature was leading the human with something around the front portion of his trunk with something hanging out of a front opening.

The tree wanted to use its branches to get this four branched creature away from it. It was leaving stuff behind after it left the Liberty Tree. Stuff that made the tree angry…

Something below caught the attention of the tree. It was one of the smaller humans. The tree figured it was a young one since he was smaller than some like the tree was when he was younger. However the tree wondered what it was doing here at this time of the morning since he rarely saw so few this early…Except for the one smaller human he saw earlier. As a matter of fact, both looked rather similar…

...

Cody burst out of the hotel past Norman the doorman, almost knocking him over but did not stop, didn't even turn to apologize.

He ran past the runner in sweatpants and shirt with his water bottle and mp3 player.

He ran past the dog walker with the golden retriever walking off away from the tree.

His coat and umbrella swung in the frigid air while his sneakers splashed through the puddles on the sidewalk.

He ignored the coldness on his jeans as he ran towards the Boston Commons where his now brother was at.

The car horns beeped at him as they tried to avoid the insolent little whelp crossing the street without using the sidewalk. He didn't care though, he had to get to Zack, as fast as possible, and the rest of the world would just have to get out of his way.

He dashed by the neon open sign, then stopped, laying eyes on the pink and purple light as it covered on the sugary confessions below. The warm air tempting the weak hearted into coffee and a few extra calories. Cody could not remember the last time he had one of their delicacies. Thoughts of chocolate frosting with delicious pudding surrounded by doughy heaven filled his mind, his taste buds dying for it.

Thunder sounded and Cody nearly jumped out of his skin, his fear coming to the front of his mind. Realizing time was of the essence he pushed away thoughts of sugery treats and he started running toward the forested Boston Commons, hoping he would find his brother in a reasonable state.

...

The grass was cold. It touched everything around it. The trees roots uprooted the soil. The water vapor clenched air ready to explode.

A faded rainbow appeared in the sky some time ago but now the dimmed colors could barely be differentiated from the gray sky. Still, it remained, a sign of luck and of better things to come.

The blond haired boy sat on the grass, crushing it with his body, picking at it and throwing into the air at random. His thoughts lost in confusion, his mind attempted to forget but forced itself to remember.

Anger.

Sadness.

Grief.

Depression.

Fear.

Helplessness.

Isolation.

The shaking form of a boy covered in white. Fear quaking into the air all around him. The other child in the room feeling helpless at the state his roommate was in, surrounded by debris.

The wind picked up and swirled around the boy. Branches waved to the winds as they passed the limbs of the elm and willow trees in the area.

Not even the sound of a dog barking could move him. But something soon did…

"Zack?"

His head did not move. He just continued watching the ground. This time he focused on an ant hill inches from his soaked sneakers.

"Zack?"

His head slowly rose from his hunched position, feeling the wind on his slightly reddened face.

His pupils focused on the form in front of him.

A boy so similar to him. Once the one person he cared about more than his own being. The other's life his own. Now he was not so sure, ever a source of confusion and despair.

The pain crawled closer toward his heart, squeezing ever tighter as the eyes of his mirror on him. They scanned him up, down, left and right. The only thing preventing him from walking away was the undeniable truth, the eyes held the exact same color as his.

"Zack?"

"Yeah, Travis?"

Zack saw the other boy's eyes widen at his words. The birds became quiet as if waiting for something.

"It's not Travis, Zack. It's Cody."

Zack went rigid at the announcement.

His eyes felt wet as a foreign substance balanced on the edge of eyelids and the cheeks of his face.

Tears. Objects of contempt for Zack. Things so antique he barely thought they existed. Things for the weak and the helpless. He hated them.

He looked down and saw his friend hugging him in a vice grip. His face buried in Zack's shoulder. Wetness on Zack's collar shook him from his detachment.

Water ran down his cheeks against his will, activating the nerves on his skin. Strange sensations soared throughout his body.

Thoughts accompanied these instruments of release.

_NO! Not my friend…My Brother…My Twin_

_This can't be happening. This has got to be a dream. I mean he was Travis, wasn't he? They said it would take a while for him to come back to me._

"Zack?_"_

His eyes darted to the origin of the sound. The face barely centimeters from his own.

"Please don't you remember me? It's Cody your twin." The voice trembled as it spoke.

"Yes I remember" Warmth exploded from Zack as his arms and their muscles remembered an almost forgotten gesture.

A hug. A hug where not even an electron could get through. Tears mixed with mucus as dreams reformed, dreams he thought had been buried in the past those many years ago, left to die, to be forgotten, but maybe, just maybe, the joy he felt in the past, the times spent with his twin, Cody, not Travis, could once again become reality.

"I love you, Zack." Cody's voice whispered into Zack's ear. With the simple phrase, Zack heart tripled in size.

_After everything I have done, he came back to me. Thank God. I have been saved. What he said was not true, Cody does love me and care about me. All those times, I cried out and hoped it to happen. It did. It really did._

They squeezed each other harder if that was possible. Their heads touching each other. The separate flesh became one. Not from Physical contact, but something from else. It was a bond that could not be broken even under the most severe circumstances, buried for a time maybe, but still there. A connection created by having the same DNA, going through nine months in the same womb, experiencing the same young tragic lives.

The boys' minds flared up in joyful exhilaration. An indescribable tsunami of feeling, flooding every conscious thought in their brains until there was no sensation but the love and tenderness of each other's physical presence surrounding them both in a cocoon. They never wanted to escape this moment until all of existence ceased. Their bodies ceased to be two people but are one in the soul. The split souls' dream coming together in reality as the moment dwarfs them.

They separated but Cody's hands held onto Zack wrists, maintaining their connection, a promise of certainty in the wake of the chaos around them.

"It's true, I have my brother back" Zack's voice crackled but finished quickly as he looked his younger twin, his eyes sparkling like diamonds.

Just then it started to pour. The cold water blended with the tears. The boys were drenched in a matter of seconds. But even through the torrential downpour, Zack made a surprising observation.

"Cody! Your hair! It's changing colors."

Cody touched his hair and then his face. Honey mist auburn dye ran on his right hand. He smiled.

"I guess the hair coloring is being taken out by the rain."

"Yeah, your hair is almost completely normal like mine."

"Well if don't get under this umbrella soon, we'll die of drowning soon," Cody said quickly opening it up while Zack grinned at his twin's attempt at a joke.

Both dove under the umbrella, all four hands on the handle to maintain control but it failed against the whipping wind.

The soaked brothers huddled under a building awning nearby watching the monsoon waterfall into rivers through the grass. They snuggled together to stay warm while their impromptu coat blankets lay over both their bodies as they laid against a wall waiting out the storm.

"Zack?"

The 10 minute older boy looked slightly to his left toward the head on shoulder. He nodded slightly.

"I'm sorry for everything. For not being me."

"What do you mean?"

Cody's eyes wavered for a second.

"They threatened to kill you Zack."

Astonishment froze Zack at the complete surprise.

"Kill?"

The other boy nodded.

"Yeah, I tried escaping once… It was several months after they kidnapped…" Cody shuddered but continued. "After they kidnapped me. They were drunk and fell asleep. I tried being really quiet. I snuck out and tried to run away from where we were living."

His eyes lowered themselves to the ground as his voice lowered to a whisper.

"I was running towards the center of town. I stopped to catch my breath thinking I was far enough away. I was leaning against a brick wall. Then I heard a yell… It was them. One of them must have still been awake and followed me."

Cody lifted the coat until it almost enveloped his entire body. He shoved his arms into the sleeves backwards so the inside of the jacket was facing him and his hands stuck out of the sleeves.

"I tried running as fast I could. I was running across this sandlot, which was a rundown baseball field. I remember falling into a hole in the ground. I think it was where the bases used to be. I found out later I sprained my ankle then ,but still forced myself to keep going even though it hurt so badly."

Cody swallowed as he looked at his brother. Zack put his hand on his twin's shoulder and squeezed lightly. Cody played with the jacket zipper and continued in an inert tone.

"But I guess he followed in a car. He grabbed me from behind. I still remember the smell of his clothes. They made me want to gag because of how much they smelled like beer."

Zack looked toward his brother, guilt of letting him go through all that pounding at his heart, even though he knew he was hundreds of miles away as Cody continued his journey into the past.

"My own shirt was choking me for a second. Then before I could react, one of them had me in a bear hug. I kicked and yelled at him to let me go… He dropped me. I just wanted to run away but he threw me to the ground. I started choking on the dust and I couldn't breathe."

A single tear ran down the storyteller's cheeks. Zack felt anger and guilt at this moment, just hearing what they did to his brother. And for other reasons as well…

"He started to drag toward the car they were in. I tried to pick up my feet so I could stop tripping but he was pulling so hard, I could not stand up straight. I was covered in dust and grime. It was everywhere. In my clothes and all over my skin and in my hair as well.

"He threw me into the run down, rusty car. I landed on the thinning back seat. The metallic supports impacted on my stomach and ribs. It hurt so much. I could not describe it" He shivered, memories of the pain causing his chest to hurt again "I heard him cursing at me as he got in the car."

"I tried not to cry but he said I was going to get it when we got home. I was terrified. All too soon, we arrived back at my….prison. He carried me back into that house and I ended up on the ground."

Cody stopped for a second to look toward the falling rain, biting his lip. The constant impact on the concrete created a popping sound. A calming sensation on most days, but not today.

"You know, Zack." Two pairs of deep green eyes met. "I still can see the sights, hear the sounds and smell the sickening smells in the places where we lived. They were usually rundown old places which were close to shacks or barely livable apartments. We kept moving around."

"This place was no different. It was in bad shape. There were times where I would see bugs or rats scattering around. I saw beer bottles on the counter. Their caps just thrown on the floor. Dishes plied in the sink. It was impossible to breathe with the stuff they inhaled or smoked. Dirty clothes scattered on the floor, paint chips on the dust caked wooden floor, and that's just the stuff I could see."

A head shake later…

"When I landed on the floor after we got back, there was this small rat by my head. I screamed and both of those _men _laughed at me, saying it looked like even the rats hated me. Then they got angry at me for trying to run. One of them lifted me against the wall. He seemed to be the one in charge. I was scared of him the most. I can remember his breath. It smelled of alcohol and something else…Maybe drugs. I am not sure. He started to scream at me and I was shaking so badly, I could barely hear what he said.

"The leader threw me in the air and I felt weightless for a second. It felt like I was just a spirit floating without a body, if that makes sense."

Zack's face showed a look of slight understanding but he did not shake his head. Cody did not react to this lack of movement. The storm started to pick up as if it comprehended the rollercoaster centered in its windy currents and swirling rainfall.

"My head hit the corner of the counter causing me to blackout for a moment. When I came to, my head felt like it exploded and no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't stop crying. I wrapped my hands around my head and curled up into a ball trying to get away from the pain but then my hair was grabbed."

Cody could feel the question coming from Zack so he answered it.

"You see it had grown long since we rarely went to get haircuts. I tried punching the arm away because it felt a thousand needles were poking into my skull. But it didn't work, instead he pulled me and I was lying defenseless on my back."

The boy's knees rose to meet his chest as arms wrapped around him from the back from his older brother. The jackets further tightened around the pair.

"Then the leader kneeled on my stomach as I lay helpless. I tried breathing but I couldn't. I started to panic, trying to push his knee off me but he just put his hand on chest and pressed down. My back stayed glued the floor, and I could see him laugh like he was enjoying my struggling."

"Finally he let me breath. It felt so wonderful. He still kept his hand on chest, but he lowered his face towards mine."

Zack felt Cody shaking as he continued to talk.

"I attempted to turn away from him, not wanting to look him in the eye. I thought I was going to throw up whatever scraps I was able to eat that morning but his other hand grabbed my chin and snapped it around to look at him. I was pinned to the ground so I could not move. I could only see into his eyes. They memorized me so that I could not stop looking at them. I wanted too but I couldn't.

"His eyes….I remember them to this day. They were so dark, so evil. There was no light in them as all. It was like I was in a dark room with no nightlight and no moon. He said if I tried to do anything like that again I'd regret. His friend- that who brought me back- came over at look at us. I was able to look down and see the leader was on top of my waist, so kicking was useless.

"His friend said 'you know, if you don't cooperate with us, we could dump you in the darkest part of the city. You know the part where little boys disappear into and never come back… '"

Cody's face paled as he said this. Zack moved closer to him, putting his front to Cody's back and putting his head on Cody's shoulder, wrapping his arms around Cody's stomach.

Cody's voice died as he continued. His fingers started digging in through the jacket to the skin.

"He didn't go on but he did not have to… My mind took over and I started begging him not to do that."

"But he went on, 'Or we could just throw on the street with nothing or very little clothing too. I can't imagine you'd last very long. '

"When I heard this, my voice broke. I could not imagine dying on the streets alone… But the leader added his part. I think I died inside when I heard it."

"'How about this, you little piece of crap. We know where your brother lives. We have somebody watching his every move. If you don't cooperate… and I mean with every last little thing. That's includes every instruction, every rule, even when we tell when you can eat or do chores. If you don't, your brother will find himself in a very uncomfortable and permanent position of being dead. Now you don't that to happen do you?' "

"So I did whatever they wanted, even acting like their son because I didn't want you to die Zack. I love you too much. I did not want you to be in pain because of me."

Zack bear hugged Cody from behind, tears running down his face from the war inside him and from one of his worst fears almost coming true. The two brothers didn't let go, not until long after the rain had stopped.

...

"I really think we should send out a search team Joanna." Concern overran Ken's voice.

"We have already checked with the security inside and outside the hotel, Ken. Zack left soon after we left for shopping while Cody ran out about 30 minutes ago."

"I know that already. It's just that we came back and they were not here."

Joanna looked at her boyfriend and understood his feelings. After all, both adults were responsible for the twins in their care. However, that's not saying she didn't feel flustered by the current situation. She was just limited in her options.

"Ken…" Joanna ran her hand through her wavy black hair as she sighed. Her brown eyes briefly looked over toward the two arms men by the door, looking at the scene with expressionless faces. One moved one of their hands to their earpiece as if listening to a report.

"One of the security personnel was in plain clothes walking a dog when he saw Cody run down the street. He followed Cody and watched him run into the park, so we know he arrived there."

Ken smirked at using a dog for cover but soon the humor left him.

Joanna watched as the Queen's officer in front of her calm down and began to talk.

"I just wish we could confirm they are alright, that's all. I mean with what's been happening, I am just a little apprehensive letting them out of my sight. May heaven help us, if something happened to them out there."

"Your Highness," Lt. Alice Powe, commanding officer of the Queen's Own detachment and personal arms man to Princess Joanna, tried to interlude in the conversation but her attempt failed to break through the spirited conversation.

"I agree with what you are saying. We gave them rules and they followed them by leaving notes and texts saying where they were going. I cannot just send the Marines after them every time they leave our line of sight. They are children after all, not prison inmates; we have to give them some freedom after all. We are their foster parents; we are supposed to help them. We cannot shove them in a box and leave them there. Even in my sheltered upbringing, I knew that to be true."

"Let me guess… I can't control the situation with the structure of a Navy ship." Ken's sheepish reply lightened the room. "Besides if we did that, there could have more issues than what they started with."

"If you tried to enforce naval discipline, there would be a coup against you, starting with me. Besides I have a feeling you would have your hands full with just them."

Ken nodded in reply. Two boys would have been a handful without the sad circumstances.

Alexander who watched the conversation from the countertop next to the two adults lowered his head onto Ken's arm, which proceeded to scratch the tree cat.

"Excuse me? Your Highness, Captain?" Alice's voice breached the silence. Both adults looked to the Army officer but before they respond, the door handle was turned.

"There you are!" Joanna rushed forward to the now found twins. She exchanged a quick look with Alice, who tapped her ear bug. Joanna nodded and got the silent message.

Ken joined her and smiled at the boys. The twosome stopped in their tracks and stared at the adults.

"I see you got stuck in the rain. You looked waterlogged," Joanna said with a smile.

The two boys looked at each other and then back at her and nodded.

Ken and Joanna raised eyebrows at the sight. Two _blond_ kids with disheveled hair as water dripped from their faces and clothes soaked the carpet, coupled with a ruined umbrella with its tip touching the ground.

All the adults in the room including the arms men wondered about the change in one of them…

"Well it seems you two had an interesting morning." Ken walked forward but stopped when one of the boys moved in front of the other slightly. Ken frowned but froze, knowing that he'd just have to give it time.

"Why don't you get out of those clothes and dry so you do not catch a cold or something?"

The soaked lads walked to their room in the suite in respond to Joanna's question.

The minors walked dry as a bone into the living room a short time later.

Alexander laid across the back of a chair with Ken below him. His narrow eyes zeroed on the boys while Joanna sat in the chair on the side of the side table.

Both Zack and Cody froze at the sight. Their foster parents looked at them with serene expressions on their faces. Zack looked at his brother from the corner of his left eye, wondering what was going on.

"It seems like someone has had a change in hair color," Joanna announced to the room.

"Yes, I have to wonder if that means something." Ken added and looked at Joanna, who shrugged. "You know like a name change for example?"

The twins' eyes widened and the mouths opened slightly. The question obvious, Joanna continued, her tone undermining the shock.

"You see… when a certain two children left after we did this morning, they left notes. It's a good thing they did because it told us where they were. One was signed by Zack."

Joanna placed the first note on the table in the middle. Another sheet of paper was in her hand as she continued.

"The other note was signed," Joanna smiled as she said this, "by another boy." The second was left on the table next to its brother.

She sat down as the twins inched forward to look at the papers. There at the bottom of the second note in plain lettering was a name.

Cody.

Zack looked at his brother, who was silent for a few seconds.

"I must have written it in a hurry because I do not even remember writing my name."

"You were going after Zack?" Ken asked.

Cody looked toward the man with nervous eyes and nodded quickly. Ken smiled widely at this. Joanna's voice caught the twins' attentions

"I hope the re-reunion was well worth it?" The twins looked at each other and Cody answered with a raspy yes. The younger twin cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. You see I was still afraid of them. Afraid of them getting out and finding me again and doing things to hurt people I cared about. That's why I kept saying I was Travis."

Cody looked at his foster parents, who returned looks of sincerity and compassion.

"We always wondered what it was, that kept you from responding to Cody." Ken responded neutrally. His and Joanna's eyes flickered to Zack for a second. "Fear has its ways of making us do things or not do things because of it."

"In the end, the wonderful thing is you are here now and you found yourself." Joanna's eyes glowed at the end.

Cody nodded at this with a smile that could outshine the sun.

"Now that the Travis issue is solved, the rules for you still apply. All of them. Now for a repeat…" Ken paused when he caught Cody's facial expression.

"Yes?"

"Ken?" He looked at the man with an unsure look. The manticoran citizen nodded to him.

"I remember all the rules from before." Cody looked at Zack before continuing. "I could see or hear everything around me. I guess I could describe as being a bird in a locked cage. I could tell what was going on around me, but I could not act on anything. I tried to but I guess my fear got the best of me."

The foster parents nodded at this explanation, impressed at the completeness of it.

"You should not be ashamed, Cody" Joanna uttered to the contemplative child. "We have all felt fear before."

"Even you?" Zack surprised everyone with his outburst.

Joanna smiled at him. "Yes, even royalty feel fear. We are still human. Even with our security or upbringing, we still worry about our family, friends and our country. Just like everyone does."

Zack's eyes lowered as she finished.

The twins left the room and the adults alone.

"It appears the Stockholm Syndrome's spell has broke." Joanna's relief filled the silence. "It makes sense his abusers' deaths would have been the key to unlocking his identity.

"Thank goodness for that." Ken's head was staring at the ceiling as he answered but lowered afterward. Alexander's head was his right shoulder while his two meter long wrapped gently around Ken neck. Ken's hand stroked the creature's pelt.

"One less thing for us to worry about…but that list is still long though."

Joanna could only nodded in response. Then curiosity got the best of her.

"There were papers, folders, pictures and baby items on the floor when I went in there to see if they were there." Joanna mentioned as he lifted herself from the chair.

"Yes I know." Ken's voice answered her while his eyes lingered on the closed door to the boys' room. "I had made arrangements to make copies of every piece of paperwork and other things connected to them so they could keep them in their possession while we could use the information for searches for family, medical histories and just about anything we could think of."

"Don't they have any family out there?" Joanna voice was hopeful.

Ken crushed it. "No. Not as far as we can tell. But we are still searching. Who knows maybe we missed something."

Ken's melancholy swamped the room as Alexander crawled up to his shoulder and left a princess of the realm to her thoughts.

**Sorry for taking so long. I thought I lost this chapter about halfway through when my computer crashed. Then by a stroke of luck, it was auto saved and found only later.**

**Anyway, finishing this was slowed down by a Halloween one shot for Lodylodylody's collection, a joint collaboration called My Guardian Angel and other things as well.**

**As for inspiration, this chapter especially the scene with the twins truly reuniting was based off the song A dream is a wish you heart makes from the music video from the Cinderella movie. (Yes I know. Odd. Let's say the lyrics hit me in the heart).**

**Also I can tell you my motivations for using foster parenting in the story were the Martian Child and Big Daddy. Yes again funny again with the Sprouse twins being in the movie. Considering I did not know it was them until I saw the movie again while the Suite Life was on TV years ago. I hated the scene the scene with the social worker took Julian away with him crying I wiped my butt. So sad.**

**Ok off track again. You might want to check an earlier song fic chapter to see a connection between the two.**

**Until next time…**


	17. Unplanned Events

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**I like to thank Darkelements10 and Tiger002 for betaing this.**

The sleeping child did not realize anything until it was too late. The thick blankets contained his flapping movements during the night, but only barely. His dreams consisted of his past, the present and a future all blended together in a way that could only make sense in dreams. He found himself climbing up Mount Everest with no end in sight while being weighed down by a hundred pounds of stone, pounding him into submission with each step he took

But none of that mattered this second.

For the universe decided to wake him with a matchless wakeup call….

"Orf…What the hell!" Zack yelled into the quiet room. Adrenaline was overwhelming his blood along with his breathing. He tried to roll over onto his back but a heavy weight prevented him from rolling his hips.

"Morning Zack…sleep well?" A split second glimpse of blond wondered into Zack's vision.

"I was until you landed on me, crushing my ribs." Zack shot back at his twin.

"Sorry about that…Are you okay?" Zack turned over after Cody moved to sit on the edge of his bed.

Zack looked at his brother. His sincere eyes gazed back at him. "I'm okay. No harm done. Why did you do it anyway?"

"Well sometimes you wake up by pulling on my blankets until I fall to the floor, so I decided to have fun waking you up this time."

Zack smiled at his twin's reasoning for the tit for tat. Both enjoyed each other's company for the time luck allowed until Cody broke the silence. "It's been busy for us, hasn't it?"

Zack nodded at the question as they reviewed the past week.

There was school and the hotel of course. Homework, dinner and their foster parents inveigled their minds as well. The difference now was that the pair shared the memories together as brothers, not as just roommates.

But something pulled the cord on the train barreling down memory lane.

A wonderful smell…

* * *

The woman's attention converged on the door as it opened with a clash and out ran two eleven year old boys attempting to track the wonderful odory treasure. Their search found the conquest as a stack of pancakes on platters. But something was in them.

"Double chocolate chip pancakes."

Ken smiled at Joanna as he looked the newcomers in the kitchen. Alexander looked down at the scene from the far side of the table.

"Here" Zack saw Joanna slap a five dollar bill into his hand with a resigned look.

"Joanna bet me the pancakes would get you to out of bed in ten minutes and as you can see, she lost." Ken answered as he saw the curious looks on the foster boys' faces.

"It's true and its only five bucks. Still, the point is you are up before noon." Joanna saw Zack slide ever so slowly toward the platter of chocolaty soft delights and could not help and smile.

"I suppose you better eat before they get cold, and do not worry about us, we already ate."

The boys had dove toward their breakfast. They did not see the split sorrowful and amusing frowns on the two adults at the table as they watched the spectacle unfold.

"This is…emm…good" Zack's mouth barely contained the pancake he shoved whole into his mouth. The adults' eyes narrowed slightly at the miraculous sight.

"Zack, it's rude to talk with your mouth full, you know that." Zack gave a raised eyebrow to his rule minding twin, before shoving his mouth as full as possible.

"I see you liked them" commented Ken as he glanced at the spotless plate from where the breakfast bliss laid.

Both boys smiled and leaned back evidence of their fulfilled desires in full view with the starry eyed expressions.

Joanna looked at the content younglings lounging in front of her and remembered their joined sleeping forms in Zack's bed earlier that morning with one arm over other's sleeping form. A heart-warming sight for any mother. Even a foster one.

Her concentration reformed as Ken started on about something…

"Yeah, so I saw them in a restaurant and I figured I'd try them. I figured I could not burn them even if I tried. So what do you think?"

The twins looked at each other for a second then answered.

"Well…" Cody started but Zack finished "We've had worse."

Joanna snorted at the answer and Ken remained steady.

"It's better than nothing" Ken shrugged his shoulders and pushed the chair. Joanna thought she saw a slight flinch from the lads but she could have been wrong. She pushed the thought away as the sunlight continued to fill the room with its wonderful radiance.

* * *

The couch sagged under their joint weight as they watched the hustle and bustle between the entrance doors and the elevator.

"You wonder what they think about as they walk through here?" Cody asked the other person sitting next to him as the sea of life continued to move in an infinite pattern of in and out.

Zack looked at his twin with a look. "Em…not really"

Zack sighed. "I'm bored"

Cody almost laughed.

"We have been here less than a minute and you're already bored." Cody's fingers ran over the tan fabric as he kept his eyes on the vase situated just a few feet away.

"Bleek!"

Both twins jumped as they heard the slightly recognizable sound. Both knew where it rose from.

They turned each other on to a whiskered six limbed two feet long animal with deep green eyes staring between the both of them. The tree cat lowered his head and his ears lowered as he looked at both of them. He cringed as he stared into Zack's eyes. But the boys ignored the movements.

"How did you get here?"

Alexander moved his head until the twins saw he pointed toward Ken. He was standing off to the side of one of the hallways gesturing energetically to someone.

The twins sat back and continued their previous conversation. Alexander poked his head between the two, positioning his head so his whiskers glanced off the boys' necks.

Both twitched and inched away from the feelers and continued their prior conversation.

"There's always the game room…"

"Nah… I just wish something would happen around here."

"Like that?"

Zack followed the extended finger towards its target.

Both saw a familiar cream-gray colored outline of a six limbed creature on the front desk. Alexander was perched perfectly still and Moseby had not even noticed him yet.

The two feet long tail wrapped itself around its feet but in the act, the tail touched Moseby's wrist.

His iron solid concentration broke with the sensual contact.

"Get off, please" Moseby said to the creature quietly with shooing- like motions, trying to fix the problem without attracting attention.

The 'cat yawned in response with its fangs clearly showing to the now slightly perturbed administrator.

The scene became the focus of a certain two boys' amusement as they monitored the combat between man and creature.

Alexander retreated and dropped off the table. Moseby relaxed and started to turn back to the crunching load of e-paperwork sitting on his computer. But before his concentration reformed, he felt pressure.

And it was moving. From his legs to his lower back and then finally his shoulder blades. Something was on him. A backpack of weight rested itself on his shoulders and it increasingly started to tire his muscles out.

But what? That only thought now overrode everything else in his brain.

Moseby's head turned until he came face to face with a furry face complete with ears, whiskers and deep green eyes.

Moseby shrieked as he tried to grab Alexander from his body. The sound would have awakened the undead, let alone the living in the room. He shook, he twisted; he jumped into the air trying to get him off.

All this panic from Marian just caused Alexander claws to dig into the expensive suit Moseby was wearing. A rain of deep blue fabric started to spread, creating a path in front and behind the desk. The flailing limbs from both almost knocked a few people to the ground and was centimeters from the knocking the vase from the table.

Soon everyone in the room froze to stare at the unique performance. Alexander's eardrum busting bleek added to the pandemonium. His flapped tail wrapped around Moseby's upper arm as he desperately tried to hang on. Its coat rings failing to blend with the clashing colors. The tree cat's face buried in the man's shoulder.

At the same time, the entire audience wondered why he was trying to soothe the guests who were slowly backing so as to not become this beast's next scratching post.

The tree cat's claws shredded the jacket into ribbons and now dived into the sky blue shirt as the next course as the terrified man continued to clutch at the shrunken form digging into his attire.

"Get off ME!"

Finally Moseby's left foot caught the legs of one of the tables and he toppled over to the floor in a heap. He laid there for a brief second, trying to take this all in with his face eating the dust mites on the floor while the assaulting animal still lay on his back.

The staff and the guest remained super glued to the floor at the sight except for one person.

"Oh goodness, Mr. Moseby….I am so sorry."

All Moseby felt was the release of the pressure. He tried to pull himself off the ground as two hands lifted his small form onto his feet.

Ken dusted the poor man off, ignoring the beast at his feet.

"Are you alright?" Ken asked him.

Moseby glared at him with the same stare that froze former employees as they feared for their coming pink slips.

Ken swallowed quickly as his heart started to race. It only slowed when Moseby started to nod.

"What happened here?" A high pitched voice drew everybody's attention to a young woman with a white Pomeranian in her hands.

"Hello London, I see you returned. How was your trip?"

"It was fine although the plane took forever to land. Did they not realize London Tipton was there?"

Moseby frowned but London did not even notice. But a shout stopped her.

"You're London Tipton?" Cody asked her with his mouth open.

"Of course I am; who else would I be?" London's eyebrow raised them as a copy of the boy who spoke walked to her.

"Since when did we have twins living in the hotel?"

"Only recently." Moseby looked at Ken. "They have only moved in the last month or so."

"Oh…Moseby what happened to your suit? It looks horrible! What did you do? Use tape or glue to make it."

Cody and Zack exchange smirks as the line reached them.

"I would actually think of it as being run over by a lawnmower." Alexander bleeked laughingly at Ken's response.

London stepped back a few feet, the dog in her hands leaping to the floor.

"What's that? Its looks like a large mutated cat. It better not eat Ivanna."

Ken looked down at his feet. The aforementioned dog was sniffing the air around Alexander. His lips creased upward as he saw the cocked head of the Sphinxian creature as it looked down as his opposite's curious behavior, his right forelimb lifting itself from floor. The clawed appendage coming closer and closer to the offending mutt.

Ken's hands flashed to the tree cat picking up the creature.

"Alexander will not hurt your dog. He's very gentle around other creatures and kids too. He has the patience of a saint" Ken quickly glared at Alexander while Ivanna ambled back to the hotel heiress.

"What has happened here? Mr. Moseby…your suit?" Joanna asked, joining the crown of guests fascinated by the hotel manager's destroyed attire.

Moseby barely held in a groan at the constant ogling of his destroyed tailoring opted for the straight to the point method of explanation and pointed to the culprit.

"I did not do it!" Ken's righteous indignation did not stop Joanna from shaking her head.

"Maybe but don't tell me a part of you was not enjoying it a little?"

"Maybe…"

"Actually, it was the tree cat…" Moseby interrupted the scene.

"I figured it was him anyway. I apologize for what he did. Why don't I pay for a new suit?" Joanna continued to speak through Moseby's gradual shoulder shrugging.

"How about a thousand dollars?"

The hotel manager could have been blown by a stiff wind if there was one. But eventually his brain rebooted its ability to speak.

"Em…Okay," he finally answered, not able to think of any other words at this moment.

Joanna turned around and walked toward the elevator, only to pause by a simple question.

"Why did you do that?"

Joanna turned her head to see minute confusion on a young woman's face. But Joanna could see through her trained political and diplomatic experience, a pair of hawk eyes looking back at her.

"Ms. Tipton, I presume?" The young lady nodded.

"Well…even through it was not my fault it happened, my boyfriend's "pet" destroyed Marian's suit. So it's only proper to replace the damaged suit. It's not unreasonable."

"Can you afford that?"

A smile crossed the royal's face as she noticed two twin pairs of eyes roll skyward.

"I have more than two coins to rub together." Joanna was vague but polite at the same time.

London shrugged the answer off and walked away.

"Here we go again."

Ken's resigned tone turned Joanna back to the middle of the lobby to see Ken pacing a few feet in either direction, the antique cell phone twirling in the air all the while.

Ken looked up while pausing in between steps to see Joanna's quizzical expression.

"I need to go back to NY to deal with negotiations at the UN. It turns out the permanent members of the UN Security Council want an increased look at weapons and transportation tech. Specifically after we told them to be patient due to their inexperience with it. "

"Let me guess, they did not agree with your point of view?"

Ken snorted. "Of course not, those morons wanted it now, now, NOW!"

Ken paused, closed his eyes and started to breathe deeply. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes.

"Excuse me but some of those morons represent my interests." Ken could hear swords clashing in Moseby's voice as he finished.

"What I meant is the simple fact of putting advanced technology in hands which have very little experience with it is A Very Bad Idea." The officer stopped for a second then started up again. He knew now was not a time to make a scene, and after the incident with Alexander, he wasn't on the manager's good side. So he had to restrain himself from going too far with what he said.

"Well this mainly applies to military technology especially the weaponry itself and other related items since some are more powerful than anything you have experimented with."

Ken continued, thinking about the other means of technology that had been recently introduced to earth.

"The medical tech is one thing. But even that has restrictions attached because we have to put oversight to see who has access for fear of it being abused for the wrong reasons such as biogenetic warfare."

Ken could see he lost Moseby so he explained.

"It means using medical technology to create weapons that attack the human DNA. It was used before in war a very long time ago. We of course remember that, hence the restrictions.

"The transportation technology is another thing in which we have thought about sharing with the planet as well. Of course there's the issue of the nuclear power sources we use instead"

Ken smiled internally as he saw the widened eyes of the twins and the hotel manager.

"Of course we've multitudes more experience than you have with fusion power and our safety protocols are light years ahead of yours to be honest.

"Then there's the counter gravity tech which allows us to fly in the air. Let's just say once that's introduced, you can kiss all of the 747s goodbye forever."

"Do you use nuclear power as your only source of power?" Ken looked toward Cody, who asked the question.

"No, we have these solar collectors, which have the same function as those solar panels. We place them on edge of the planetary atmosphere and they…" A throat clearing stopped his preaching in its tracks.

Heads turn toward the only female within hearing. Joanna.

"I hate to interrupt but you said something about negotiations?"

"Oh yeah…" Ken replied with a sheepish grin, running his hand on the back of his head.

"I guess kinda get involved in teaching people. It brings back memories of instructing midshipman at the academy."

Another throat clearing.

"Okay…I'm going" Ken's hurried movements matched his feet as he grabbed Alexander from the hotel carpet, ignoring his light screeching.

Ken stopped on a dime and twisted only to see his girlfriend a few feet behind him.

"What about the twins?"

"Don't worry about them. I am not a helpless little girl." Joanna's hands turn Ken around and guide him to the doors.

"But…" These pesky hands shove Ken to the manual doors.

"No buts. I will take them to lunch. Besides the last thing you want to be is the one person they are waiting on for a meeting to get started." The glass door opened, the cold air rushing to get inside. A jacket shoved into his hands.

"Agreed, but the party we are hosting…"

The green T cursive met his face before he was able to finish the sentence. Joanna's face looking back at him.

Joanna watched Ken walk down the steps to grab a ride and turned around.

"Well that's not something I do every day."

The black haired woman missed the smirk on the face of the Manticorean security personnel nearby.

* * *

"What about them? Don't they have to eat too?"

Joanna saw Zack's thumb point to the two arms men sitting at the table next to them and her eyes glistened.

"They have already eaten back at the hotel. That's why I waited until early in the afternoon to go to lunch. An empty stomach is a determent to their job."

Zack nodded at the explanation and looked around the internals of the sandwich shop they sat in. The smell of cooking oil and onions serenaded their nasal passages. The photos on the wall of food, friends and family colored the surrounding red brick and concrete walls.

"Anything else?" the waitress's voice brought Zack back to the present.

"No, I think we will be fine, but thanks Cindy. I think if I eat anything else, I am going to become a blimp."

Cindy laughed as he walked away after handing Joanna the bill.

"What's it like being royalty?"

Joanna looked up at the sudden question with a French fry halfway to her mouth. Cody's face was leaning across the table, his voice a whisper as if telling a secret. The passersby's' shadows covered the group as they march past the clear windows.

Joanna breathed for a second and wiped her hands in the napkins on the table.

The rolled up napkins accompanied the paper layered basket of fries as Joanna pushed them away.

"Well for starters, I had servants waiting on me…"

"That sounds cool having everybody do everything for you." Zack's glow shown through his sentence, eyeing the princess, thinking of how different their lives have been.

"Maybe it was. I had to be homeschooled though by tutors. I am pretty sure I never went to a normal school, so I lived a sheltered lifestyle. I could not just walk outside the castle walls. There always had to be a schedule for events or at least a warning in case I wanted to do something so an advance team was sent ahead to secure locations."

Zack's face revealed a dawning look as he thought of the possibilities involved of living such a life.

"I admit there was pressure around me. Not from family per se, but the expectations of being a royal. The manners …the control of your emotions…it can be very taxing sometimes.

"There were ceremonies and official events. Meetings and welcoming with other leaders and their families. The meeting with the people…"

"You hated that?" Cody asked with a worried look which melted with a look at Joanna's face.

"I actually loved that part. It let me feel the soul of the people. Sometimes reading it in the news fax or filtered report does not do it justice. You have to let them know you are human, not some high handed blue blooded uptight thing that lives in a castle on a hill looking down on them. It allowed me to have a connection with the citizens of my star nation, which is necessary because as history shows, any ruler who does not know or realize what the people want or worry about are destined to fail or possibly be overthrown. "

"It's like trying to introduce yourself to a new person in school."

Joanna bit her lip lightly as he thought of Zack's remark and nodded her head.

"Yes, Zack it is but on a bigger scale and probably more important."

"Not for the person being talked to. They might think the act of you talking to them maybe more important than anything." Cody looked down as he finished.

A thousand thoughts whirled in Joanna as she looked at the younger twin. About the orator. About herself. But two words summed up her opinion.

"So true."

Zack looked at his other half and put his hand on his shoulder. Cody perked up and raised an eyebrow towards Joanna.

"What you said about knowing the people. It sounds like your family has experience understanding what it means. "

"I would hope so, considering the House of Winton has ruled for 400 years."

The twin's eyes became saucers. Joanna twirled a finger in her hair as she continued and crossed her legs.

"I think in my biased opinion, the monarchy is strong. But it did not turn out exactly as the founders wanted." Joanna laughed as she looked as Zack had a fry sticking out of his mouth as he stared at her. His head slightly tilted to the right.

"You see they wanted to make it a figurehead. A king or queen with no authority. So they could keep the authority to themselves."

"They sound like they were very greedy and selfish to me." Zack commented with an empty mouth while reaching his soda.

"The truth is they were. Then again, human beings are greedy. Think about every time, there is one slice of pizza or cake and you want it. How far would you go to get it?" Joanna saw the kids thinking about it and added something else to the equation.

"Now change that to the control of an entire star nation? For your decedents? Get the picture?

Joanna saw Zack holding his head.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I have a headache trying to think about all that."

"It can be a burden sometimes. It took a while for me to understand everything I know so it's not easy. It's a way of thinking. If you think or act a certain way, then you will understand the situation better. Having great teachers helps too by the way."

Joanna raised her arms above her head and stretched then rubbed the back of her stiff neck.

"Anyway back to the topic at hand. Unfortunately due to some ingenious maneuvering on Elizabeth I's part the power was centralized more in the monarch, and that continued growing through the generations, so by the time we are here now, it has become something I suspect was their worst nightmare: A strong monarchy that has a definite say in decisions. I have a feeling my mother would cause them to have strokes since she channels the spirit of her namesake. She is definitely not a pushover and I have no mercy for anyone who thinks they can force her to do their bidding." Joanna beamed as she thought of her mother and her unshakeable will.

"Will we ever meet her?"

Zack's soft toned question froze Joanna for a second.

"As of right now, I would say the chances are slim. The main obstacle is security since the Queen's Own really does not like me out from the protective umbrella of the home system. But since I am not the reigning monarch, they can only frown upon it." Joanna's eyes never left the group watching the door behind where she sat as she spoke.

"But circumstances can change."

The threesome threw away their garbage and walked toward the front door, the civilian clothed security preceding them. As eyes looked up and down the streets for threats, Cody's question came up.

"What does Ken mean when he said something before you, eh…?"

"…Persuaded him to leave?" Joanna finished for him and a nod confirmed her suspicion.

"Yeah, he mentioned something about a party?" Zack asked. "I would not call it a party as you know it."

"Then what is it then?"

The dark-skinned arms-man on the other side tried to match Joanna's movement so to lessen the threat of a head shot on his charge while trying not to bowl over the minors and other obstacles in the way.

"I would call it a soiree…a formal get together. Rather boring actually. Everybody dressed in somewhat formal clothing talking about current events. Not something I would recommend children be at unless you have to. And yes I have been to a few. One of the worst parts about being a member of a royal family is being in situations in which you hate but not act like you hate it."

The chilly air nipped at their faces as the group walked back toward the Tipton, arms men at their sides and scopes watching their backs.

* * *

"It seems like it's going rather well, don't you think?"

"I think so." Joanna thought about Ken description of the status of the necessary event the two of them were hosting.

The ballroom floor was shined to a point where the fear guest slipping was the number one on their list of things to worry about.

Ken's worries included about making himself looking a fool in front of civil servants with decades of experience. But he adjusted quickly as a military officer must do any unplanned situation. Albeit somewhat haphazardly.

"How are things so far?"

A smiling Marian Moseby in his styling new suit approached the hosts.

Ken shrugged.

"Considering we have half the Foreign Office assigned to Pegasus in this ballroom including just about everyone involved in all the negotiations with all the major powers, it cannot get much better from an accepted invitation standpoint. Add in some of the senior military personnel, we are all set."

"I hope I am not interrupting something?"

The three adults turned on a dime to see a well-built man in formal civilian dress clothing with somewhat dark sandy hair and a slightly worn face crafted around silvery-gray eyes. His eyes sharpened to an arrow's tip. The small creases around his face showed a man used to dealing with word wars and ego battles. All which took built cracks in his face. The small gray hairs proliferated in his mane broke through the artificial youth of his second generation prolong treatments. He appeared to be closer to his over 80 years of life than most. Still all things considered, he was barely looking a day over 50. Not bad for a former Marine officer who was used to dealing with boarding parties and looking down the sight of a pulsar energy rifle.

"Mr. Ambassador, you actually made it. We were wondering if you got lost or something." Ken smiled warmly as he shook the former ground pounder's hand. Alexander twitched his whisker to show his greeting to the diplomat, who nodded to the tree cat...

"No, captain. I was lost in the sea of paperwork _you_ sent to me regarding the recent round of meetings."

"All I can say for that, sir, is my apologies. You said you wanted the Foreign Office to stay abreast of the situation. Just doing my due diligence as a servant of the Crown." Ken shrugged as he finished.

"As do we all, Captain. As do we all." Felix Byers's stern eyes stared back at Ken.

Those same eyes found a black haired woman. He tried to mask his confusion, but something must have showed.

"It's alright, Ambassador Byers, we are in safe company here." The woman's smile relaxed him but his suspicious eyes found their way toward a suited man next to the woman.

Joanna's hand extended itself towards the unknown man.

"This is the Tipton Hotel's manager, Marian Moseby." Joanna introduced the administrator to the Queen's diplomatic representative of the Star Kingdom.

He walked closer to the young looking woman. Painfully aware of the pair of watchdogs watching over the woman's shoulder. He stayed close enough to able to talk in hushed tones but far enough away to show he was not a threat to the princess.

"Does he know?"

"If you are asking about the fact I am the Crown's daughter, then yes he does." Joanna saw the Ambassador eyes move slightly. Ken spoke before Joanna could respond.

"With all due respect, sir, we were caught between a rock and a hard place. We had to choose between keeping Joanna identity a secret from everyone or enlist" Ken frowns at the use of the word. "….people who could help us maintain normalcy as much as possible. I admit it was a difficult choice but since Moseby is the hotel manager, he would be in a perfect position to give us a heads up in case something came up that would affect us."

Byers nodded and looked at Moseby.

"I apologize for not trusting you under the circumstances."

"I understand completely" the two shook hands. Moseby looked toward the stately woman.

"Besides your security, the Ambassador, Ken and I, who knows who you really are?"

"The twins of course since they live with us." Joanna saw the raised eyebrows of Moseby.

"We did not have much of a choice, Marian. We are the ones they would be around the most. Besides their teachers of course."

"Speaking of the twins' school, we had to put Joanna on the paperwork under false pretenses. We said she was from Landing, the Capital city of the Star Kingdom. But we left off the fact she was royalty."

"You do realize you are lying to them about her, right?" Moseby queried directly.

Ken shrugged deeply while Alexander dug in his claws to limit his own movement. His front paws on top of Ken's head." Yes but at the same time it's for everyone's best interests. If the paparazzi ever found a member of the royal family was here, they would swamp the school, the hotel, and the kids making our lives miserable. That's not something we need right now. "

"We could always nuke the smutties." Ambassador Byers said with gallows humor.

"Just what we need right now. Negative press. Imagine the cleanup we have for that mess. Stopping the freedom of the press by the barrel of a gun…although we could mark it up as a last option." Ken said with a chilled smile. The smile melted when he got a look at Joanna. Her look would have blasted a hole through battle steel even with diplomatic facial skills at work.

"Beyond the fact, the press can be annoying, which I agree with. Unfortunately my knowledge of that fact having to be close with the owner of this hotel chain and his daughter is very articulate." Moseby sucked in a breath before opening his mouth.

"Who else knows the princess's true identity?"

"Trisha, the twin's social worker knows for obvious reasons. We need her to help with the twin's issues when they come up." Joanna answered quickly.

The Ambassador added to the list of possible leakers.

"The Foreign Office staff on the planet knows you are here as well, Your Highness." The former marine saw Marian about to react but he continued.

"But they don't know where you lived at."

"But could they find out tonight and could give you up?" The grimace on the short man would have remained on his face if not for Ken adding something to the conversation.

"We agree with your thinking, Marian. But consider this? If anyone from the staff does give us away and if the Foreign Office finds out who it is, there is a possibility of the small detail of their career being destroyed and never being trusted anywhere near the center of power and responsibility again."

Moseby looked into Ken's eyes and saw the unflinching mountains inside. Alexander matching the human's lack of movement.

"I do not exactly like this set up." Felix Byer's words chained the group's heads together to nod at once.

"All we can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst" Ken's voice lost itself in the growing simmer of voices in the ballroom.

Byers grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the servers and wondered about the current situation. He was a man stuck between the military training and the Oath of Loyalty he swore the crown at 22, and the Queen's diplomatic envoy he was currently. Right now, his mind hummed as he thought of a way to assist in keeping the situation intact. He thought of it as part of his responsibility after all. If it blew up badly, it would complicate his job multifold. But as the light refracted through the glass and the bubbly substance occupying the space inside, nothing worthwhile came to mind.

* * *

The shattering of the glass and china drove all conversations to a halt.

A simple noise, but it echoed with the sound of unplanned distraction and destruction.

A simple sound that destroyed all sense of normalcy in the ballroom on this night.

A gathering of pages, bureaucrats and speechwriters surveyed the scene.

Two souls formed the core of the moments. Both blond and eleven and having the same nose, mouth, ears and eyes. Both covered in red punch along with an assortment of cheese, crackers, pepperoni, pigs in a blanket covered them. Two children in a hors d'oeuvre salad. The yellowish yolk of deviled eggs dripped on their faces while cake and ice cream merged with their hair to create a dyed affect. The two boys were a sight to behold.

But the assembled Manticoreans' eyes searched the boys; the living examples of the Demon Murphy's eyes fixated themselves on a singular individual; whose eyes never wavered as he started to speak.

"Well, there goes a quiet evening."

Ken's eyes never left the twins as he felt the Manticorean Ambassador inch along beside him.

"I presume these are the kids you talked about earlier?"

"You guessed right, sir." Ken remained stoned faced as the humor bashed against his rocky edifice, only to drown.

His voice was steady. No emotion. He was on a mission once more, he couldn't handle any distractions.

"Sir, I apologize for this." The officer's eyes remained on the devastation while talking to the Ambassador. "And to you too Moseby." The hotel manager was behind him. Alexander's eyes focused on the short man.

"It's alright, Captain. It's nothing a little elbow grease, a mop and a broom cannot clean up." Moseby sighed mournfully.

Ken walked forward towards the dirtied pair surrounded by debris. The echo of his boots permeated the room and enhanced the ever silent watching eyes of his fellow citizens.

Two matching pair of green eyes inched upward watching Ken's face as he walked them. Their forms frozen, their awareness full of the face and the body of their foster father just a few feet in front of them and closing in at what appeared to be a crawl as they ignored the faceless mass of shadows in the room.

A hand shot in front of Ken, grabbing his arm.

"Remember, Ken…"

"I know Joanna…I am not going to hit them or anything." His eyes drifted for a split second to his love.

"Can you do my favor and help contain this? You always were better at fixing things like this anyway while I handle the boys, huh?"

A nod and the hand released its grip. The creature moved forward covering more ground to seal the fate of the two children in its path.

One pair of juvenile eyes shimmered in fear as he remembered his past. Full of pain, shame, and depression. The eyed representation of authority reminded him of a twisted form of crime and punishment.

Ken stopped two feet in front of them. Both leaned back as if creating a shield of space for themselves, keeping their sight on the man in front of them.

"We need to talk. Follow me please."

The child forms simply rose from their chaos' wake and trudged themselves past the dividing crowd in their fancy clothes as the humans watched these compelling children leave their midst.

* * *

"I can't believe this happened."

Ken's voice echoed through the empty lobby. The front desk empty after Ken asked to clear a room.

The howling wind accompanied the darkness to complain about the current situation. Three people in an empty lobby, which signaled no business. Meanwhile, two cuisine covered twins dirtying up the lobby. Every step a lengthened trial from the scene of the crime. The entire setup a blow to the Tipton name everywhere.

Ken ignored this as he stared at Zack and Cody. Finally he just shook his head. He remembered the shocked looks on the faces of the crowd at the sight their eyes gave them. He was sure he saw shock, morbid curiosity, concern or a combination of all three on the faces of the entire crowd as the group walked past.

Ken's hand ran through his hair and stopped at the back of his neck. He bit his lip as he started down at the two forms in front of him. His eyes soared skyward as he collected his thoughts.

Both boys looked like crap. Like a plate of food just searched through for the good stuff. Liquids and solids and everything in between located who knows where all over their clothes and skin. They didn't even have the appearance of looking human.

"Here"

Several fluffy towels magically appeared in Ken's hands and sticky hands grabbed them. Hurried movements started the job of the cleaning the slowly drying mess of consumerables and tears from their faces and cotton.

Ken started what he knew had to come. The problem was where did have to go to finish?

"First of all, both of you look much better than you did five minutes ago."

Ken attempted to smile but only the redden cheeks of his charges stared back as flaps of the towels marched through their hair trying to grab any unwanted leftovers from the "party".

"But that's not the point of this little conversation…the point is….the point is you caused some damage." Ken tried to say it calmly but something was poking him inside his head.

"We're sorry but we wanted to see what the party was like…Maybe we should have listened to Joanna when she said it was not fun."

Ken saw the sincerity in Cody's eyes as he finished but Zack's head was in a position ready to chop with an ax. Ken decided to deal with one thing at a time.

"Well as you saw, you were the only kids there. The event was pretty much for everyone to talk about recent events on the planet and to compare ideas. Trust me if there was anything else I could do…"

Ken turned around and sat on the couch. Fingers drumming on the armrest. He felt Alexander move from his shoulder to his lap. The foster father could feel the tree cat's eyes bore into the twins.

His eyes saw jitteriness in Cody's movements. The boy moved his heel up and down and shuffled his feet. Zack on the other hand was stone. If Ken not did know he was breathing, he thought he would been a Da Vinci stature. Living death. It unnerved the man, but he was not sure why.

Maybe it was because Zack refused any connection to Ken beyond what was necessary? Ken pushed the thought away.

"…But I did not have the opportunity because I was the host of the event."

The phase ended with his voice rising but Ken prevented it from getting louder. Not before the twins looked at him. With what the officer was not completely sure. Ken felt further pressure on his legs and absentmindedly petted Alexander.

People stared at them now and Ken kept his eyes on the spectators until they moved away.

"But as result of this wonderful opportunity…" Ken did not notice the twins' flinch at his raised tone. "…I have to clean up after _this_ mess. Oh and let's not forget the extra expenses added to our bill for some odd reason. I have to talk to Moseby about that!" Ken swallowed after he realized he yelled. He missed Zack's face going pale as he finished speaking.

The Queen's officer started to breathe heavy and put his face in his hands for a second. Ken mentally cursed at himself for almost losing his temper. The cushion reformed their original shape as Ken's burden was taken from them. Alexander jumped to the floor during the sudden movement, looking between Ken and the twins the whole time. Silence conquered the lobby as Ken started to pace in front of the vase.

Suddenly he stopped; aware he still had an audience.

"We'll finish this up later after we solve our problems in the ballroom. At that time, we'll talk about punishments. I understand why you wanted to come but something has to be done about the broken items." Ken took a deep breath.

"In the meantime, I need you to go back to the suite and get cleaned up. It's been quite a long day for all of us."

A nod toward the elevator persuaded the twins to move. Troubled eyes watching as they pushed the button for the 24th floor and the doors closed.

* * *

The fake smiles and stares did nothing to distract Ken's mind from earlier.

His thoughts bounced how worse or better things could have been and it drove him crazy.

He could not get past Zack's body language though. He hated the fact they were not connecting.

_All I need is one chance to prove he can trust me. Then maybe he came around….Hey at least Cody talks to me normally._

Ken stopped to get a drink from the servers and continued his thinking.

It was less than an hour since the event happened. The broken glasses and bowls and trays were replaced. A simple glance would have anyone impressed with their efficiency.

Meanwhile Joanna was checking on the kids since Ken thought it was a better idea to let her get a shot with them.

Besides, it was not like Ken didn't have any experience watching kids afterall. He did spend tons of time looking after….

Something triggered Ken's mind to change course rapidly.

Joanna.

He saw her walking. No sprinting. As gracefully as a person in her position could do such a spirited activity. The whip of her dress's hems carved a straight path in the wooden floor. What's more is he saw First Sergeant Cummings and Lt. Powel on her heels.

_Weird. Didn't Cummings have the Suite watch tonight?_

Something felt very wrong. Ken could feel it. Joanna's public mask was too fixed. Like she was trying to hold something in. She was avoiding all social contact. Her eyes locked on to him. Ken turned to instinctively stride over to her as the pair headed to a corner.

Before Ken could say anything, Joanna grabbed his arm and they both turned into the corner to silence the message.

Her eyes contained shock of a sort which he had never seen before. The next words threw him over the edge.

"Ken, they're gone. Zack and Cody…" Ken's grip started to loosen. "…are gone. They disappeared. They have run away."

The glass in hand fell to the floor.

Shattering to a million pieces.

Another mess to clean up.

* * *

**Longer than I originally planned for but these chapters have a life of their own**

**As for London I am still trying to figure how to write her, I am trying to find a way where I have her being smarter than in the show but still have her quirks can show. As you can tell, it's a work in progress.**

**Please Read and Review. Until next time...**


	18. Running into the Darkness

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the OCs.**

**Thanks to Darkelements10 and Tiger002 for betaing.**

Two forms slashed across the rayed light, breaking through its boundary against the darkness for just a second. Their shadows allowed the infantile nightmares to cross from one area to the next, each step driven by fear as they journeyed further and further from the world they knew.

Fear drove these stunted forms further into the blinding night. Horrors imaginary and real waited to take what hope remained from their lives. It was decreasing by the second as their footsteps pounded their way into the unknown as the Boston twilight erased their pathway.

"Zack wait up, I'm getting tired."

Zack stopped and turned to see Cody leaning against a wall. The protector decided to take charge of himself and his younger brother.

His hands grazed the backpack straps wrapping around his small shoulders. The low sound as his fingers rubbed against the nylon focused his thoughts.

He had to do it. There was no way around it. What was he supposed to do? Let Cody get hurt? They were twins after all.

Death's finger ran up his spine as Zack felt his nose start to run. He quickly zipped and buttoned up his jacket. His brain refused to numb and continued to process the past hour.

A hole formed in his mind as he remembered those unyielding spheres of Ken's. The frozen black holes drew him in and held him chains. He was unable to run and hide. Like a similar set of eyes had done to him so many times before…

The pitched voice pounded against the inside of his skull. Each word chipped away from his well-being. The walk for the condemned highlighted with the elevator ding and the closing doors.

Now here they were (after quick showers) in an unknown Boston alleyway with matching rucksacks on their shoulders.

"Zack?"

The older brother's eyes looked into the face of his sibling through the moon and artificial light above. He knew that probing look all too well. Too many times in his young life he had been exposed to it. Sometimes he loved that look. This was one of the times he could not stand it.

"Why did we have to leave?"

Zack ordered his eyes to jerk from the duplicate pupils, but their capacity for fear, loneliness, sadness, hatred and even love froze the command from reaching his motor functions. Then sound rose from his throat.

"Because we had to…"

Zack saw the questions in the other's eyes but saw trust in them as well. Trust of a brother's love. Zack knew he needed to change the topic.

"Can we go now?"

"Yeah, just a second, I need to get my gloves out my bag. My hands are a little cold."

Zack waited while Cody dug for the gloves. His eyes searched down both ends of the alleyway. All clear.

Cody shoved the his now warmer hands in his pockets as the pair started to walk faster down the alley, the fingertips sticking out the sides. Zack remembered those gloves. Red and black that paired with his silver and blacks ones. Both received a pair with the jacket they received from Ken and Joanna. He could not remember a time where his fingers were cold with them on. Zack slid in his fingers into the gloves he left in the pockets from the day before.

Cody's voice fought against the rising bitter wind. His reddening cheeks peeking out of the wintry hat and jacket.

"You know I wish we could go back…"

Zack's heart started to pump faster at the words.

"…it was one of the best places we have ever lived."

Zack could only nod at the sentiment. He agreed with it since it was the best they had been at. Especially since they were together. Zack made a promise to himself it would stay that way forever even he had to fight the world with his last breath.

Safety was above all more important than comfort. Definitely higher than luxury.

Both stopped at a fork. One path was straight while the other path turned left.

Zack turned toward Cody.

"You ready to go?"

"We have to run again don't we? You know I can't keep up. I was never very good in gym."

Even in the moment, Zack laughed. So did Cody…

Their bond strengthened as Zack grabbed Cody's hand and grasped it. Something he had done only a few times including that first day at a new school after their parents had died.

"Don't worry. As long as I am with you, you will always be there with me."

Cody smiled back and both started to run into the darkness energized by their faith in each other. The pathway started to disappear again leaving no trace behind. Except for one article of protection left behind on the ground.

...

The 2430 suite was far from quiet.

"How did they get out?"

"It looks like through the fire escape. Security did a sweep after they noticed the kids were missing. The fire escape was lowered to the ground and there was condensation on both sides of the balcony doors."

"So we know how they left. How resourceful they were. Not really surprising considering they are foster kids." Ken's hollowed voice answered Joanna's rejoinder. His eyes turned to the security detail inside the suite. Alexander dug in his claws in Ken's padded shoulder blade.

"How did they escape the eyes of the Queen's Own and the Palace Guard Service? I presume they would have that way in covered?"

The raised voice did not stir Lt. Alice Powe, head of the Queen's Own security detachment attached to Princess Joanna while she was on Pegasus. That is, except for a slight narrowing of the eyes and a neutral voice.

"Between the party downstairs with the Ambassador and the extra people in the hotel, we were stretched thin even with the support of embassy security." She continued, diverting the minute opening of Ken's mouth.

"The twins were low on the threat list because of their age and the fact they were going to be in the suite or most likely in the hotel under the eyes of security already posted in areas or the hotel staff. We kept the watch at the suite but the extra security personnel usually connected to the suite had been allocated to watching the entrances and exits of the ballroom for the safety of the Ambassador and the Princess."

First Sergeant Cummings continued as the memory of his new promotion clashed with the current situation.

"As a result, I took over command of the suite watch, Zack and Cody came up and went to the suite. All was quiet, sir. Or so it seemed." Ronald Cummings frowned; shadows covered his light blue eyes.

"Security checked in with me every 15 minutes on every possible way in or out nearby. We had security sensors on anything we could not put a man on with the hallways given primary responsibility. We had people on the roof in case of a potential sniper. The security sensor attached to the balcony door give a signal to say it was opened.

"Security checked it out and saw the twins standing with their jackets on the balcony looking at the moon. The door sensor signaled it was closed a short time later. We did not realize until I checked the whole suite during the next check the twins were not inside."

"At that time, I was already on our floor and I arrived as they finished checking every possibility." Joanna smiled at Ronald as he continued.

"As soon they concluded what happened, I sent a team to start a search gird and I called the police. They should be here any second."

She noticed Ken dashing toward his desk. "You're going to help the search teams?"

"Obviously." Ken's biting remark drew a question from Joanna. But she froze after he kicked the desk.

"What's wrong?" The officer's hand froze as it approached the keypad.

"I yelled at them, love. For all we know, I was the one who drove them away…"

A hand flashed across the pad and a panel slid open to reveal an opening. Ken pulled out what appeared to be pistols. But these pistols failed to match any weaponcability ever created on this planet.

Ken smiled as he looked at the faces of the others and explained the hidden compartment.

"In case anyone ever got through you guys, it couldn't hurt to have something that could kill with a single shot. Or at least take off an arm or leg. After all, I wouldn't be doing my duty as a Queen's officer…and her boyfriend if I did not have the ability to protect Joanna. Besides we will worry about the regulations after we get the twins back."

Powe and Cummings nodded involuntarily. Ken swore he saw Joanna's face acquire a nauseous look for a second and walked towards the door.

"Wait!"

"I can't" Ken shouted as he looked at the clock. "The twins have been gone for almost half an hour between the time you last saw them on the balcony and now. We know they probably used the fire escape a short time after the last sighting, so time is of the essence. Especially if they have been going all out the entire time. They could be miles away by now. "

"I know." Joanna's hard eyes turned to Ronald. "First Sergeant, go with the captain. Take whoever we can spare. I will handle the guests and the police when they get here."

"That's the first time, you called by my rank in a very long time." A slice of wit lightened the room as Ken handed one of the pistols to the Army NCO. "Second date, now I believe. Now we are going after our runaway foster kids. Time moves so fast."

Melancholy fused Ken's last words as he rushed out the door and Cummings close behind.

"Find them."

The orphaned words faded into the surrounding air as one particular woman was left to ponder things, big and small. Her eyes starting to dim…

...

"Report!"

The small gathering of men and women turned around the man at the head of the group approaching them.

"Captain, we have checked with every tax and bus service in the area and asked if they have picked anyone children within the past hour. So far, there's nothing."

Ken watched his breath materialize in front of his face as he listened to the snappy report. Its speaker, Ashanti Davenport was steely eyed as she looked between Ken and First Sgt. Cummings at Ken's shoulder. Her facial features and hair matched the genotype of the ancient Africans from which the name came from, which was extremely rare for any human being considering how many hundreds of worlds the human race had spread to.

Ken pushed the idea away as he listened to First Sgt Cummings and Ashanti exchange information.

"So the subways have photos of the twins at each of the local stations?"

The newly minted sergeant responded without hesitation.

"Yes, each of the attendants looked at the pictures and was given copies to keep in their areas. We told them to call them cops if they saw them and we have embassy security helping by doing searching with us and keeping in contact with the cops.

"It may be not enough"

Ken's simple phrase turned heads.

"What do you mean, sir? We are going after a pair of kids."

Ken looked at the Palace Guard Service member who spoke it but Ronald interrupted him

"This pair of kids has run away before. Granted as far as we know it was only for a short time. But they've probably learned how to avoid detection from it."

"Add to that the simple fact, kids, especially foster kids, are naturally resourceful and creative. We can't underestimate them. Let's not forget even the kids may seem to have limited resources with what they have on hand; they can always steal from people to survive. These two have pretty much have learned to be semi-self-sufficient by this time, so don't underestimate them. They may surprise you. "

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" Ken smiled grimly at Ashanti's succinct point.

"Last thing, foster kids can be touchy about trust issues so approach them openly. We don't know why they ran, so let's bring them back in one piece." Ken's voice was unbending as he finished. Echoes of past commands and shipboard actions boosted the steel in it.

The group understood the directive.

Ashanti focused on the business at hand.

"So far we have extended the search to about three miles or so in circumference. The area's been cleared but we are stretched out."

Ashanti frowned but continued.

"I am afraid of pulling more men off their posts for fear of the twins slipping past them."

"We might not have a choice considering the situation…." Ronald paused for a second. Then started again.

"What about this?...We use manticorean personnel as an advanced guard. We sweep ahead for the kids in a search pattern in unsearched areas while the local police cover the back door while anchoring search teams. So if the twins decide to come back, we still have people back here to tell us they have returned and call off the search. "

"I like it all around." But Ken saw the Palace Service man from earlier biting his lip and gave a questioning look. The PGS man responded.

"The issue I see is manpower. This is a very manpower-intensive plan. The locals will hate being used as backup to us. I wish we could use the shuttles or the pinnace from the embassy as air support."

Ken sighed internally because he actually agreed with the man.

A pinnace would usually be used in a search such as this. The seventy meter long small craft was perfectly designed for such as a mission with its infrared radar and sensor suite. What it was NOT designed for was searching for two kids in a huge modernized city while dodging tall skyscrapers, powers lines, 767 passenger liners and what other disaster colliding obstacles in its way. Then they were the reports of UFO from the glow of its counter-gravity underneath allowing it to float hundreds of feet off the ground or waking the entire neighborhood with the sound of its air turbines. Heaven help anyone if its missiles or energy weapons were fired….

Ken's skin crawled as he thought of the possibilities.

"Unfortunately, it's just too much of a hassle with the planet we are on. As for the police, there's nothing they can do since we have the extra manpower to spare to look for Zack and Cody while they have the rest of the city to look after. If we need more, we will find it more. Even we have to use all the pages on the ambassadorial staff. And the janitors too."

The PGS man nodded as Ashanti finished up.

"We are all on the same frequency, correct?...Good. In case something happened report in that frequency or send a short message. We will pick it up. "

"In that case, let's go."

The group scattered each taking a coordinated route to cover the most ground and hopefully find two young boys before the worst happened.

...

The darkness surrounded the woman sitting on the bed.

Her face wore the stress way beyond her societal concept of youth. Her eyes, the complete opposite of what the public would usually see out of a person of high status. Their strong cores diluted by solvents of worry and doubt. Her shoulders slumped to the point where shadows made her appear to have a hunchback.

Not the perfect princess with the perfect hair or grace or the most fashionable dress or the best tan. She was not in control of the situation. She was not at all one of the central columns of the institution known as the House of Winton. The institution that has served as the spine for the Star Kingdom of Manticore to bring from a few frigates several hundred years prior into the commercial powerhouse it as it exists now.

No, she did not appear an edifice of royal strength. The perfect paradigm of royal stature.

No she appeared…ordinary.

Joanna rose from the bed, not even noticing the semi-open door of the master bedroom. The stray lance of light injured the darkness into gray. Shadows of nightstands, a cherry desk and other things appeared as if they tried to sneak around and the light caught them.

The young woman walked over to the desk and a hand swipe turned the lamp on. Her hand touched the holographic cube on the desk, next the old fashioned spring jointed pens and manual stapler. A face materialized on the cube's face. The woman's face held the same characteristics as Joanna. The chin, the facial structure, the eyes…

She wondered what her mother would think about in a situation such as this. Then she realized something. She never had to. She had wet nurses and maids and other staff to help with the raising of her children. Granted she was as hands-on with her children as much as she could. As much as any reigning monarch could be while trying to balance the affairs of state.

Joanna remembered going and interrupting some meetings on occasion when she needed to talk to the Crown about serious matters. And the barely hidden managed frowns from certain government ministers and admirals while the Queen dealt with some family issue. When she could not, she waited until the "important" meeting was over to talk her mother. But at the end of the day, both of her parents were there for their children, no matter the situation.

Joanna never had to run away for any reason. She always felt comfortable at home even with the added knowledge (and pressure) later on of being a royal and what came with it. She wondered what her mother would think of her when she found out about this…

Would it be disappointment, compassion, guilt, understanding?

Joanna shook her head.

No, the Queen would understand the choices she and Ken made would be with the knowledge they had at that time. Like any parent would with the hope what they did would bring about a positive conclusion.

But not here...Joanna froze as she looked down at the city from the bedroom window. Down below somewhere below her, two boys were surrounded by rodents, scattered trash, crime and things in which Joanna knew she never truly directly faced in her life. Not since she was surrounded by armed personnel and servants who waited on her hand and foot.

But why would two brothers run away from what was supposed to be safe and warm to run into a cold and possibly unpredictable if not deadly environment?

She looked at the folded over note in her hand. One in which she found under a pillow while searching the twin's room.

**_Dear Joanna and Ken,_**

**_Zack and I are sorry for causing you any trouble and for breaking your rules. You can get on with your lives without us. Don't worry about us. Life has been hard on us, but it cannot be worse than what we have already had to deal with._**

**_We also took some food and some of the clothes you gave us. The clothes you gave us were really comfortable and I liked them a lot. I can say I was never cold in anything you gave us. Thank you for that after everything I went though. We figured you would be able to replace the food but as the clothes, give them to someone who needs them._**

**_Above all, thank you for reuniting my brother and me. We both need each other so we can live. Without him, I don't know if life is bearable. That's why I am going with him, no matter what._**

**_I hope you both have a good life together._**

**_Cody_**

Joanna did not need to know tears were rolling down to cheeks to know how she felt after reading the words again.

Joanna looked at the digital clock on the nightstand.

About forty-five minutes had elapsed since the twins had left. The police arrived almost to the second after Ken left to help the search.

Was it just under fifteen minutes earlier security confirmed a search plan and ken was already dashing into the night trying to find the boys?

Joanna could not believe what had happened in over an hour. She went from co-hosting an event full of people to having her foster kids run away on her and have detectives question Alice and anyone involved in the other room one at a time.

What a night…

The thought made Joanna wonder if God and the universe had a twisted sense of humor. A bubble of humor inflated inside but it was popped by a sudden and potentially guilt ridden release of thoughts.

_What if I helped push them away toward running away?_

_Did I not show my affections more openly? Or at least enough to show them I care about them?_

_What if my upbringing did not make me the right person to raise them or even help them? To bring them along or make them better people?_

_What if it was always hopeless?_

A mental wall forced her to stop. She knew foster mothers were told that sometimes they had to let go of their foster children if the situation called for them to leave to a permanent home.

Joanna never realized how difficult that was until now. Maybe it was because the twins were her first? But in this case, the twins were not taken from her by some paperwork, they _ran_ from her.

They found it better to find help on their own than let her help them…

Here she was in a luxury suite in a five star hotel, waiting while Ken helped the search teams track down the kids.

A princess of the realm and second in line for the throne of a major star nation helpless and standing around while military personnel did the dirty work. All the diplomatic and social training acquired since she was a little girl all wasted for naught in such a situation.

Joanna put her face in her hands and agonized over everything.

_Would you stop sitting there and crying over this? Jeez I never thought you were so weak?_

Joanna's head shot up. She was not crazy but she knew there also no one else in the room with her. As soon as she realized what it was, her temper rose.

_I see I got your attention. Anger is always better than depression, they say. But you knew that, right? I mean you were tutored…Are you sure you used EVERY available resource afforded to your current position?_

Joanna paused before saying anything in her mind. A part of her was amused at the mental war with herself. Then she realized it's not surprising. It was just an active voice to the different parts of her mind she used when trying to figure out every side of an issue.

She quickly ran through the checklist in her mind of resources available to the authorities.

Joanna almost wanted to smack herself at the realization. But a smile rose on her face and her heart lifted.

There was something she could do…And all it involved was a phone call.

Joanna walked back to the desk with the holocube on it and placed her finger on a pad. It was scanned and a computer screen lifted from the cherry wood. It was a similar setup to Ken's but a lot more secure.

Of course this was due to whose it was. After voice identification and a password, the computer fully unlocked.

She could not believe she forgot about them. With their 'Can Do' attitude and enough experience to drown under, she couldn't figure why she did not think of them before. Probably due to all the things that were going on…

She would have to "ask" for their help first since she had no legal authority over them. But who in their right mind would reject a request for assistance from the daughter of the Crown, anyway? Especially when it involved a search and rescue?

As she sat there waiting for the appropriate connection after putting in the correct numbered combination, she thought definitely not these people.

The screen lit up and Joanna started to the stunned respondent. Her mask back on her face and her strength restored.

...

Zack could not believe how little time had passed since they left the hotel.

It's been only fifty minutes since they left the hotel according to that street clock on a pole the pair had just dashed under.

Both had to stop a couple times to drink, eat and to go to the bathroom. Zack hated the fact he had to do his business in an alley, but it's not like there was a bathroom available nearby. Especially to a pair of kids with no adult supervision.

It did not help the situation with practically every store with a public bathroom was already closed.

He remembered the nutrition bars and other foods Cody grabbed and thanked whoever heard for his brother's quick thinking. It saved them for the moment. He'd rather not steal unless he had to.

Or worse, go dumpster diving.

Zack had to push down nausea as he thought of the barely edible food options available once their meager supplies ran out.

Zack looked in the backpacks lying in front of him as he waited for Cody to finish what he had to do. Between them they both had enough clothes for 4 or 5 days.

Food was a major issue with the guarantee both would run out and they had to get water from somewhere beyond the several bottles in the backpacks' multiple side pockets.

_Eventually we will have to make choices…_

Zack stopped as he saw Cody come around the corner.

Zack swung his pack to his twin. He frowned at the weight, though he couldn't figure out why it was so heavy. Zack shrugged as Cody put the bag on his back and the two walked on as they drifted away from the power and comfort of the lights.

Two blocks had gone by and all was well for the wonderers.

That was until loud words made them stop and start for to shake in fear...

...

The quiet alley was disturbed once before as it was earlier that same night. All four eyes searching for the two children they hoped for their sanity and guilt were still breathing.

Alexander's tail wrapped itself around Ken's throat, its protective feel not stopping the thoughts flooding the dejected officer. His head scanned every centimeter of the air and ground around him. They were past the point of the original teams' search grid and now were in new territory.

The pair had been searching for the twins for less than 20 minutes and still nothing. The human's mind could not believe how everything that has happened started with an argument.

_Just great Ken, the first time you are legally responsible for a child beyond babysitting, you screw up so badly they run away from you. So much for Ken Myers, Queen's Officer of the Royal Manticoran Navy… you can't even take care of a child. So not much hope for having romantic relationships…_

The acid tone started to tear at Ken. His defensive walls starting to weaken one pebble at a time. But there was a part of him that could wonder if it was true.

The lack of any reaction after his shoddy attempt at humor and the truth in Cody's eyes as he tried to explain their presence constantly ate at him. Perhaps he really was unfit for this, but he'd be damned if he'd let that stop him from protecting them from the things lurking in the dark city.

He also remembered the twins' flinching at every raised tone. As if each heated syllable was a slap to the face. The hyperactivity and frozenness as they waited for their executioner to come forward as the final moments of freedom passed in front of their eyes. The fire in his own eyes frightened even him.

An officer who has seen friends and fellow officers die in combat from the touch of God coming for them by way of a stray missile avoiding all defenses and impacting upon his ship. The wave of steel, circuitry and fire engulfing souls until they were no more filled his sight more times than he wished to count.

The same fire that took lives from his life was inside him. He knew it. He felt it. The emotional fire, anger, caused this destruction. It was extinguished but it burned two young lives. Their unseen scars forcing them to treat their injuries elsewhere. Now he was trying to control the damage as much as possible by sifting through the city streets.

A cold blast pummeled Ken's face. A popping sound as treecat claws punctuated the shoulder pad in his jacket. The familiar pressure kept the officer's mind in order as whiskers grazed his cheek and neck from a hunched companion.

But the frigid air troubled his mind and he prayed the twins grabbed all of their winter gear. One of the worst things for him to imagine was a child freezing to death alone.

A nip at his right ear twisted his head around to see the culprit and looked at Alexander for a second and nodded.

"I know…we have no time for moping. I know. We have to keep going. No rest for the weary…especially since we have some missing kittens, out here somewhere." Ken shook his head at the substitution of kittens for children.

The searched continued as Alexander dropped to the ground and proceeded ahead. He passed a left turn and continued straight. Ken tuned on a dime when Alexander bleeked for his attention.

The man ran forward and discovered a glove in the treecat's two front limbs as the creature stood on his other four limbs.

"It looks like Cody's glove." Ken remembered when they bought the accessories for the twins and the constant picking up of Zack's things allowed him to remember whose was whose.

"It's not even cold, which means it has not been out here for long." Ken's hand rubbed Alexander as he thought of his charges.

Food covered minors kept poking away at him and he saw eyes slowly open in the back ground of the image as they started to rise from the ground. The mental scene changed as three figures walked through both sides of the picture while the man started to get smaller and smaller as the attention started to focus on him.

Electricity ran through Ken as a horrifying realization overlapped him.

Embarrassment.

He could not believe he could be overtaken by such a minor thing. Then his walls came down. It wasn't just the emotion. It was the scene and setting. His two foster children destroying what was supposed to be a party co-hosted by him. The cocktail of humiliation in front of colleagues and friends he had known and worked with for two years made it worse. The photogenic scene of a half-pay naval officer following his two foster children who undoubtedly broke some rule to be here would be perfect fodder for internal gossip among the Foreign Office contingent on the planet.

They would wonder about his choice to be a foster parent and if it was a mistake and ask themselves how hard is it for a man (No…a queen's officer) to control two children.

_I mean compared to having to break in a new crew and ship while dealing with a battle situation, this should be easy right?_

Ken could hear the amusement in everybody's voices as they said it to themselves.

_And in the end due to my own embarrassment at being seen in such a state, I turned the tables and dumped it on the kids. As a result, I at least had a hand in this._

Ken could laugh and cry at the irony.

_Here I wanted to become a foster parent to help kids and here I push the first batch away due a lack of control over my emotions. How childish….how human._

Ken felt empathy and support coming into his mind and he knew he needed it but he wanted to finish off his thoughts.

_Of course the pressure of my whole mind being in the negotiations probably did not help in the matter either I am willing to bet. Maybe I should think about pulling back from all this. I have been on the frontlines of the conversations since we got here._

_I hope I get the chance to change things between the twins and I…_

Two loud sounds corrupted Ken's mindset. He knew those sounds since he was a teenager on Sphinx. He ignored the slowly falling rain.

A hissing sound startled Ken. Alexander's claws were out and he started to run down the alley.

His heart stopped when he looked down and saw the glove in his hand. His legs already started to run while his left arm raised itself and he watched as he put in the combination for the search and rescue command post and filed a short report giving his location, discovery and action. He did not hear the response. He was too far away repeating alternating mantras in his head.

_Must go faster… Must think of a plan….Must go faster…Must think a plan…_

...

"You should have paid us when you had the chance. We gave you the money and you could not pay us back. Worse, you tried to run from us…"

"Please…wait I'm sorry…"

"Sorry's not gonna cut it this time. You broke the agreement and made us look like fools. Now imagine what would happen if this got out…"

The jagged edges pressed into Zack's hand as he looked down the alleyway as the fear reverberated towards him. His wet hand grappled the ancient stone. Zack refocused on the people's conversation. His eyes strained to see exact motions. Heated air beat down his neck as he knew an equal soul was spying at the same thing.

"Please I have a wife and a little girl…they need me…"

A figure was shaking; a part of him up against the wall with what Zack assumed was his hands in front of him. The water dripping off him in buckets. The second voice spoke again.

"Don't you worry about them anymore. They will be taken good care of…"

Zack could not recognize exactly what was going on due to the lack of lighting in the alleyway but….

The sound of two explosions rocketed through the silent fear of the twins.

The shaking form slid to the ground while movement increased in the alleyway. Shadows increased, scattering the precious light.

"We have to go now"

Zack heard his heart pump faster as the words impacted upon his brain. He agreed with his brother. But fear shook him. Blood sped through his veins as drums smashed against his eardrums. Suppression efforts failed as his breathing started to get heavier as all the movies and cartoons in the world could not describe the impact of a gun firing only a few feet away from him.

Pain ran through his hand as some force ripped his hand from the stone. Scrapes appeared with dripping blood as Zack turned to see Cody pulling him away from the scene. Zack grabbed Cody and wrapped his unharmed hand on the other's mouth. His twin did not make a sound as both listened to the environment.

Jittery teeth clashed against the popping of raindrops on the ground back dropped by the reflex response of human lungs. Only to be disturbed by a few words.

"I heard a noise nearby. Search the area."

Zack grabbed Cody's hand. The backpack straps and zippers bounced in the air as they started to run.

Voices behind zeroed in on them.

"Found them!...There…It's a pair of brats!"

The rain bouncing off their jackets as the twins picked up speed. They kicked soda cans and trampled fast food wrappers. Crushed lettuce, cheese and tomato embedded themselves in their sneaker tracks. Dodging loose wood, trash dumpsters, steam filled vents, their feet's pounding became a testament to survival only to be joined by a distant but ever louder set of heavy footsteps.

A metal chain link fence stood in the way of their flight.

"Go!"

Cody obeyed Zack's shout. He started to climb the fence only to have his foot fall through a hole. He landed on his feet after dropping from the fence. Bending the fence to recreate the opening, Cody crawled through, his pants, shirt and his jacket kept getting caught on the sharpened edges, but he kept going anyway, the gunshots still rining through his ears. Skin cells sliced as the fence won a tug-a-war with Cody's flesh, but he didn't let that stop him. He felt the pain, the blood dripping down his skin, but he knew that it didn't matter. He kept going, knowing that pain was better than death, and that he had to get out of the way for Zack.

Finally he was free, Zack less than inches away from his shoes trying to avoid being kicked by his twin's shoes. Well the fense dug through his clothes and into his flesh, the few scrapes weren't not enough to slow him down. Cody tried helping to pull Zack through, noticing blood dripping from a few cuts along both of their bodies.

"Zack wait! You're caught on the fence"

"Cody, just go! I'll be fine."

Cody could not believe his brother's reaction.

"Not a chance."

Cody looked at the problem. The jacket and backpack snagged themselves on the wire fence, pinning and almost choking Zack at the same time. Louder footsteps sped up Cody's thinking. One option came to the front. It was brute force, not exactly his style. But…

Cody wrapped his arms up and under Zack's arms while tossing his own pack behind him.

"Codes, what you are doing?"

Zack's face held a curious and confused expression.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"But…"

Zack's question was cut by the sound of ripping fabric as Cody's heels dug into the ground while his grip enclosed itself around Zack's chest and back.

Mud covered the boys as they fell to the ground and rolled over.

"Jeez, Codester…" Zack wiped some of the mud from his head. "…I did not know you could do that."

"Neither could I but it worked. Let's go, they are right behind us."

Both grabbed what remained of their belongings and looked to behind to see their hunters already at the fence. The mud fell off, leaving two soaked, bleeding kids running further into the night. Dashing from light source to light source, praying somehow they would make it back to civilization.

Dark hands flashed out from the darkness and grabbed the twins. They struggled and clawed at the shadows but it was useless. Soon they were overpowered and dragged deeper into the void.

...

"Boss, we've got 'em."

The words were the only precursor to the ground meeting their foreheads. Their eyes opened as exhaustion poured into their bodies as the cold sapped their youthful energy. Two objects fell next to them but they ignored them for now.

Their pupils looked to see a man, who smiled. A smile both had seen in their nightmares. They wondered how worse it could get for them.

"It seems like we found our spies, haven't we?" The mice among the snakes shivered but not from the cold…

"What a pathetic sight, you are." The twins looked down at themselves. The blood and the mud mixed to create a broken war mask. The ripped clothes and backpack created quite a look. Not exactly high fashion. They resembled Medieval ground soldiers retreating from a battle more so than boys.

They winced as every movement forced blood into injured areas. They grabbed onto each other. Their knees shook as if screws were missing. Any more pressure on them and they would collapse completely. They could only wonder what adrenaline and their ragged attire covered and how long that would last.

But the man spoke again.

"So what to do with you, considering you have caught us at our handiwork?" Snickers could be heard at the end of the question with a hand outstretched to the Boss's right.

The boys turned their eyes to the Boss's presentation. And their knees gave out as their eyes focused on the diabolical scene.

The red on the wall streaked to the ground. A toddler's tantrum involving paint. Red rubies of plasma sparkled in the small lamp above. The river led to a head looking straight at them. The eyes wide open but black as coal. His wet clothes supplied the view of an empty husk, its former occupant no longer on this world. His hands still opened, his arms outstretched to fight an impossible foe. His redhead hair flattened to cover the scars of a half-life. A five o'clock shadow covered the caves in his cheeks. Holes in his chest and head….

The sound of retching pierced the light and the rain as crowbars wedged themselves in two ribcages and tried to rip out their organs.

"Weak stomachs?"

Watery eyes mashed the Boss's face as the twins wiped their mouths from the regurgitation. His eyes mocking their state. The rain washing away digested food.

"I see you are not used to seeing this so you have not been on the streets long."

The twins tried to move backward as the man moved forward and shook his head.

"Even through your clothes and jackets are ripped due to the chase…" The Boss looked at his men. "… They are still way too new for you to be out here long"

Cody opened his mouth then shut it again but his hearing brought in the sounds waves from the Boss's speech.

"No matter where you come from, I'm afraid I can't let you live any longer."

Zack and Cody crawled backwards until they were staggered to their feet. They felt footsteps behind and knew escape routes were being cut off. Adrenaline soaked their bloodstream but the Boss's siren voice broke through.

"You may think I am cruel for ending your lives but I can't take the risk of you talking to the police and putting me and my group in jail."

A hand lashed out and grabbed Zack. The older brother's fingernails clawing at the fingers but its cobra squeeze on his shoulder remained.

A flash of a leg to the groin bent over Zack's opposition. The man's head hit the concrete as a backpack tornadoed into his head with a resounding thud, the straps whiplashing the air in frenzy.

Zack mouthed 'ouch' silently as he winced as he turned to see Cody next to him.

"What's in the bag?" Zack's voice held a trickle of fear.

"A hardback Webster dictionary, a couple of textbooks and some clothes and food…Why?" Cody's eyes never left the swelling face of the downed man.

"No reason. Just curious." Zack made a mental note to never tick Cody off.

Both looked to see the fallen fellow's cohort coming towards them.

"Zack, I am exhausted…"

The words tore at Zack's heart. His head started to hurt as weakness started to shed his muscles as he realized the numbers. He'd fought against depression, grief, anguish and fear before. Formless enemies that crippled his mind and soul. This time, he had a target he could fight with his bare hands.

And fight he would. Against these monsters to protect his brother until they got through. No matter the injuries involved. He would not stop as long as he drew breath. Zack briefly squeezed his brother's hand and fought against the drowning desperation inside as the fates rolled over them.

"We'll get through this. I promise."

...

Even the bugs avoided feasting on him.

His beaten and broken brother, lying motionless on the ground, their haunting laughter just taunting him, reminding him of his weakness, his failure, and his broken promise.

The freezing rain knifed his sores as he continued to crawl through the stone and the mud, his legs hardly responsive, the bloody limbs unable to bear his weight. Pressure points rocketed into pain sources as skin and bone became overwhelmed with the impacts of shakes, fists and the ground.

He drug his body, tears glistening in his eyes but refusing to fall. Every flexed muscle or ligament sent searing pain tortured the youth's body. His goal only a few infinite feet ahead of him. The covered feet leaning to the right almost buried a few inches in the alley muck.

The pain in his neck almost forced him to heave again. But he shoved the nausea down. The blood stained the down filling his jacket as it escaped into the arctic air from his torn jacket sleeve, allowing the boy's core temperature to fall even further.

The boy pushed the pain of the past and the present and drug himself to his best friend's side. His trembling hand touched the freezing skin of his twin. The iciness chipped away at his heart as memories played themselves in front of his eyes as the rain trickled into every open space it could find.

He pulled himself forward and laid his head on the other boy's shoulder, protective, not to injure him further in his silent state. His head grazed the jacket as his forehead touched another's and gives it a light kiss. His mind ignored the cold sensations of his numbed ears. Love and apology flowed to the unconscious figure.

Laughter can be heard around him. Volcanic anger rose to the surface of the youth's body. Anger at the gang for invading an intimate moment. Anger at life for giving his twin back and then putting them in the heart of evil.

The volcano of turns into an abyss as despair as the situation surrounded him in a wet blanket.

He realized they were going to die here. Two nameless kids in a cold semi-lit Boston alleyway with no one to care about them.

Joanna and Ken's faces come to forefront with one thought.

The fact he was back with his brother after so long.

He heard the sound of footsteps behind him. His head almost split in two as his eyes sifted through the darkness to see an outline.

An arm rose with its form deflected the light. The sparse rays of light shined on the silver- gray object at the end of the arm.

A gun. The object flooded him with feelings.

Happiness his brother was going to die with him and they were going to see his parents soon.

Happiness his worthless pathetic life full of misery was going to end.

Sadness he was too weak to save the both of them.

Rivers of tears washed the dirt away as he awaited his fate.

The boy's head turned back toward his twin's. He wanted his last memory to be seared of his brother's face. He waited for the sweet sound of the anchor hitting the pin and the resulting combustion, knowing it would be a swift end to a life drained by misery and isolation and so much pain. Those few microseconds would end his tormented and grief stricken existence as waited for the metal projectile to tear through his flesh.

He closed his eyes and felt the cold air on his skin. A precursor to the lined wooden box. The rain, a shower of an ending life and the beginning of a new existence. He waited for his life to end as darkness eclipsed his consciousness and all was no more.

**Whiplash anyone?**

**I admit I am still changing the internal monologue into normal wording is still somewhat difficult but it's going pretty good so far…**

**Oh I have a little list… for the next chapter.**

**Please Read and Review as always…**

**Until next time**


	19. Defense of Another

**Disclaimer: I don't anything from the Suite life or Honor Harrington except for the OCs.**

**I would to thank Darkelements10 and Tiger002** **for betaing this.**

It was all his fault…

Every ounce of him rang with guilt, his heart and soul screamed at him, condemning him. As the rain pounded harder, he knew the disaster that could come at any moment. Sure, his other half would be there, but even so, it was just a matter of time before it would be too late. The man kept running, turning the guilt into determination, pushing himself to run faster. His brain told him to stop, that his body was being pushed too far. His feet matched the searing pain of his lungs. Only steely determination and military training pushed him this far. The falling rain ignored as he flashed down the alleyway. The shadows mocked him and reached out to prevent him from succeeding.

His eyes, adjusting with godlike efficiency, found solidifying forms out of the blackness. Their fuzzy outlines confused the half-pay naval officer until he saw three other forms on the ground.

His eyes zeroed in, blocking out everything else. The entire universe consisted of the fallen and the newcomer.

...

Ken cursed himself for his labored breathing. The feeling of knives ripping apart his chest pointedly reminded him of his lack of recent physical training. He made a mental note to train with the Marines as soon as possible.

But the sight before him almost made him stop breathing.

A man's head leaned against the wall. His dead eyes looked straight out into Ken's. The Queen's officer quivered internally at the man's head. A bullet hole dead center in between the eyes. His skin a ghostly white. The red hair colored the blackened night as the glistening reddish-pink streak started to run down the wall as the rain cleaned up the edifice from the primal action.

Cold blooded execution.

The thought crossed Ken's mind but something caught his attention. The overhead light shown on the small four pointed object around the man's neck.

A god fearing man.

Ken's mixed views on faith did not perturb him but made him hope whoever he was, he dreamt the man was better off than what his previous life's end gave him.

Ken dragged his feet until he froze as something fluttered in the wind as rain battered it flat into the ground. A few inches from the man's pocket and the frozen hand near it. The fingers still bent as if he was reaching to hang on to something.

Ken picked it up. His gentle grip protected the fragile object from further obliteration from nature's fury.

His eyes widened and his soul shook as he took in the picture before him.

The snapshot was poignant yet simple. The dead man alive with his arm around a woman. Their eyes were identical paired stars. Their lives an unmarked path of choice and happiness.

Little arms wrapped themselves around the man's neck. A little girl's smile eclipsed the sun. Her eyes matched her mother's. Her hair copied her father's. Those same eyes laughed at the camera as the flash bulb lit. The three created the perfect instant universe.

Now it had fallen. The black hole of a bullet wiping it from existence.

Sorrow gripped Ken's heart as he thought of the little girl.

Never be called princess again or Daddy's little girl again. The memories of being dusted off and being told the reason we fall is so we learn to get back up again. Never to argue with her about boys and clothes. Or having her father wait until all hours until she came him from that date with the boy he would never truly approve of. Watching her walk out the door on prom night or walking her down the aisle…

Ken thought about the present and future tragedies all due to a trigger being pulled. Ken refolded the photo and placed it inside the man's coat pocket.

An orchestra's percussion section would have been louder than Ken's heart. His mind started to spin as he was torn between running from who he feared was the other two souls on the ground and his absolute need to know. His head and his feet moved of their own will until light and shadow revealed them.

Ken died on the spot.

Or at least he would have seriously considered the option given the spectacle staring back at him.

The two children (_his foster children if he needed to be reminded by an accusingly sounding mental voice_) lying in front of him did not appear to be children at all.

At least not by their surface appearance. They appeared to be a mash unit of mud, blood, and torn clothing, a pathetic sight.

Mud caked them until their jeans acquired an almost pseudo camouflage design. Blood spotted the denim fibers while holes exposed skin to the cold air.

The slashed jackets spewed down feathers in the air. A cloud of white trying to escape the brutality.

Ken squatted down until his knees' shadows covered the bodies' feet.

Broken zippers provided glimpses of bruises through torn shirts. Blue and black discolored winter white skin. The outline of fists polka-dotted their sternums.

Ken's eyes spied their hands.

One palm was smeared with blood. The sparkles of red surrounded the fault line cutting across the wrinkled skin. The knuckles on all the hands ballooned to the size of grapes. The raw skin was discolored while the bones disappeared underneath.

Ken wondered what happened to their gloves but the thought passed as he continued to stare at the scene.

The escaped down filling exposed the stained lining covering the arms. Red contaminating the protective filler.

A curious voice wondered how much blood they lost. Or how much could they lose until they were at risk of death.

Ken grimaced as he dreaded thinking the question and the undiscovered injuries.

His hands went to the necks of the boys to check for a pulse. His head lowered until he saw the red marks across the neck of one. A thick line from one side to the other.

The shoulders, neck and face were pockmarked with cuts destroying the children's clear faces. Ruby brown outlines masked the cheeks. Mud and cold air caked their hair into stone, ready to break off from the gentlest touch.

Their faces pointed toward each other, only inches apart with matching closed eyes. Ken bit his lip as he wondered what they saw before their lids closed finally closed.

Memories of his home and seemingly unending winters touched Ken's skin as he tried to cover up the fallen angels' bodies to prevent them from appearing at Death's door. A part of him reawakened with the blast of numbingly cold air on his face.

The sounds around him erupted as if someone had turned off the mute button on the TV. He could hear the raindrops hit the ground. He felt like his mind had expanded into its full self as he recovered from its stunted form from before. The twins' situation pushed him forward instead of concentrating on himself.

The jacket would make adequate protection for the twins but he knew he needed help. His hand moved toward his wrist com but froze when he saw the backpacks to his left.

They were destroyed, ripped in two. The backpack straps ripped from the shoulder seam. Holding strips with the zipper teeth torn off. Useless.

Red, blue and brown stared back at him. Two felt objects, another one its cotton weighed down by the rain with white sticking out of a hole. The torn strap covering its eyes.

Wet textbook pages melted into the ground. One with Ken's footprint imposed on it. A spine split from the cover, sticking out into the elements. Its knowledge lost to time.

Ken's eyes narrowed as the textbook was covered in something. Another pile a foot away attracted him as well. Human sickness. Suddenly his eyes widened and his mouth opened as his eyes swerved back toward the dead man.

His arm rose in a flash but it was stopped as another hand jerked Ken around. Eyes buried into him.

...

"I said for the last time! Who the hell are you?"

The newcomer shook for a second definitely appeared stunned at his new and precarious position. A few breaths pasted until he spoke.

"I am a man trying to find out what happened here."

"You don't say?" The newcomer looked past the mountain man in front of him to the speaker, who held a pistol in his hand. "Are you that stupid? "

The speaker pointed to the jacket covering the two boys.

"Do you think we are that stupid? The way you acted toward them says you know them. So who are you?"

The question's target looked around at the group a few meters in front of him. He was outnumbered ten to one.

"I am the boys' father. My name is Ken." Ken's voice was calm.

"Their father, huh? Well Ken, I am surprised considering you look nothing like them."

"Yeah well…" Ken smiled at the man. "I have the unfortunate luck of losing the genetic lottery. They acquired the look of their mother." The smile fell from Ken's face.

"Now I presume you are the leader of this outfit?"

The man nodded with a counter smile but continued.

"I have to wonder what would cause two sons to run away from home and end up in a situation like this?"

The boss arched his arm in a movement to encapsulate everything in the alley.

Ken's fingernails dug caverns in his palms.

"We had a fight." Melancholy leaked its way into the answer.

"A fight? How sad…" Ken's face formed stone as he heard the insincere tone of the gang's boss.

"For all of you that is." The Boss half smirked at the expression on Ken's expression. He raised the pistol to eye level.

Fiery anger and black sorrow flooded Ken's body.

The slow rise of the gun centered Ken's thoughts.

_Wasn't there a phrase where it is said death focuses one's thoughts quite clearly? It's happening here._

Morbid amusement circled the officer's head.

His heart beat increased as the pistol started to rise.

His eyes drifted toward the twins' bodies. Regret poured out of his heart at causing them so much pain and getting them stuck in such a situation.

He could not believe he walked right into what kindly described a bad situation. Heck it was a death trap.

His insides froze at the sudden realization he might not make it back from this. Not able to command a ship again or even get married or have his own kids.

His skin started to match his insides as he thought of the waste of a life to die at 45 instead of 250.

Ken felt some strength itself into his soul and could not help but feel gratitude for it. The strength sharpened his focus.

But in a split second, something kicked in.

It was instinctual but not surprising for Ken. At least not completely.

It was always there. Just shoved aside by societal rules. But now, it revealed itself.

His mind jumpstarted itself and this strange yet familiar part took over. Ken felt nothing for it. Words could not describe it enough to be successful.

But the idea it created was simple enough.

_If I am going to die, I am going to take some of these creeps with me._

Ken thought of a more colorful word to describe them but figured it did not matter.

Ken moved in incrementally toward the Manticorean pistol he held on himself. He noticed the big guy who turned him around was back with the main group.

_Probably to stay out of his boss's range of fire…_

"When I mean is that unfortunately we now have to kill you since you ran across this…Don't worry about your sons through, they will follow shortly if they haven't died already. But I must say it sucks to be you. I mean directly causing your own kids to get hurt. Wow…"

Depression tried to leak the walls of this new strength, only this time, anger reinforced the walls to an even greater level.

Anger at his mistakes. His thoughts consisted of Joanna, the twins and two others, a boy and another woman

_I just need a break. But I doubt I can beat a bullet._

The unsheathed mindset pushed the reservation away.

_But it won't be from lack of trying. That's for sure._

Instinct pushed Ken into position, his right hand toward weapon. Ready to make a stand.

The last one of his life.

...

The thin whisker of light shocked everyone in the area.

The Boss's gun shattered.

No it actually shattered and exploded at the same time.

The Boss screamed as exploded rounds, steel and ceramics scarred his hand. The pieces fell to the ground with pinging sounds. The largest being the melted barrel with its melted, sheared off edge.

Ken instinctively put his hands up, even while staggering to maintain his balance. Ken opened his eyes to see most of the gang on the ground. The rest shakily on one knee.

"Captain Mitchell, are alright, sir?"

Ken shook himself. The spots in his eyes disappeared and in their place…

"Sergeant Cummings what the hell…how the hell did you get here?" Ken tried to get his legs under him.

Ron grabbed Ken with his left hand. Ken saw what he was holding in his right.

A M7 pulse pistol. Standard Issue. Same basic design as the old school metal slug version, but this one fired energy rounds instead. Controlled plasma to be more specific. Just like the one Ken hidden behind his back under his shirt.

Ronald Cummings kept his eyes on the downed gang members but pointed with his gun hand to the pair's right.

There it was. An alleyway barely triple the width of a normal human. Even now more people were still out of it. Some of whom Ken recognized with the green berets on their heads.

"Sergeant Major Vanessa Williams, sir. Are you hurt?"

"Negative Gunny. Just a little shocked at Sergeant Cummings's accuracy, that's all" Ken's automatic tone was stiff as he used the informal abbreviation for the female enlisted marine.

Ken's vision cleared. Beyond the two enlisted personnel, there were 8 marines and one non-military person.

"Doctor Neukirch?"

"Yes, Captain, it's me." Ken remembered Surgeon Lt. Commander Mauricio Neukirch from when Zack was in the hospital recovering from the car accident.

"I was available and received a call from the embassy saying they need medical assistance for a situation. So I picked up and came here. I met up and joined the Marines as soon as they left the embassy."

"And they met up with me after we received your last report and heard the gunshots. We closed from other locations to the direction which you were traveling," Cummings said quickly.

"We heard voices in this direction after we followed the alley. I saw the gun being raised at you, stopped at this end and fired."

Ken nodded in understanding.

"Doc, I need you to check on the kids. They are on the ground over there."

Ken's motion turned heads.

"Good Heavens! What happened?" Neukirch dashed over to the bodies. Three marines followed him.

"I found them a while ago and covered them with my jacket. I was trying to call for help until these guys stopped me."

The gang members were by now all on their feet. They looked sort of stunned with the additional people in the area.

"Well they appear welcoming." Gunny Williams' comment drew a snort from Ken.

"We have to get them out of here? We could lose them."

Ken paused after listening to Neukirch for split second, looking between the gang's boss and Sergeant Cummings. The armsman stood scanning the ground for any threat, his M7 ready to be raised in an instant while the boss appeared to figuring the best course of action and dealing an entirely new set of variables.

"Gunny, I am going to have to assign a couple of your Marines to move the kids out of here immediately. As for who, I leave the rest to you."

"Aye, sir" Her eyes remained on the opposition until she turned to the Marine squad behind her.

"You too, Ronald."

The arms man turned on a dime, questioning the words he heard.

"You heard me."

"But I think I can more useful here."

"I understand that, but right now Zack and Cody need you more than I do. I need them out of danger in order to receive medical attention. The sooner we do that, the higher the chances for them to survive. Besides, if I know they are being taken care of, its one less thing on my mind to worry about.

"But in the current situation with…" Cummings nodded toward the gang.

"I thank you for thinking about my well-being but I am not completely helpless as you know well enough," Ken ended with a skewed smile.

Ken moved closer to Ronald and lowered his voice to a whisper above the rain.

"As for Joanna, she will understand. In the end, this is not a discussion. First Sergeant. I trust the twins' lives to you. I have full faith in you. After all, time is of the essence."

Cummings nodded to Ken and turned away from him, leaving one last glance before running toward Neukirch.

Ken gave no notice to the hand to Ronald Cummings's shoulder. Cummings's eyes met the face of Vanessa Williams.

"Don't worry about the Captain. We'll make sure he gets back."

Ronald quickly nodded.

"Thanks and good luck."

Movement cut Williams' response off.

"Captain…"

"I see them." Williams could already see Ken slowly moving to his left.

In the path of the gang inching forward, only to stop when Ken froze directly in front of them.

"You really think you alone can stop us?"

Ken's eyes narrowed until they became slits on his face. A quick head turn found Cummings already organizing the human train consisting a doctor, three marines and one Queen's Own first sergeant. And two child forms.

"Cummings, move it! We'll cover for you."

"Really, you and what army?"

Coldness sliced the humor from the Boss's cocky question. Gunny Williams rose to the occasion.

"Actually army would be the wrong branch, but he's not alone."

The gang members started to run only to skid to a stop. Ken only needed a half-second to hear fading footfalls to know the reason for the accelerated pace but his attention was pulled toward the current situation.

The marines had formed a line shoulder to shoulder with Ken. A wall of courage, strength and steel will between hope and the end for two innocent children.

"Are you nuts? You are outnumbered."

"Really…you don't say?" Ken felt a surge of something inside. What it was, he could not be sure but he felt pulled toward it.

"I mean six on ten is pretty good odds…for us. Don't you think Sergeant- Major Williams?"

The air and the human minds absorbed the revealing information. The falling rain slowed down, increasing visibility. The gang members could see clearly Ken was right. They could see the green berets on the arrival's heads. The RMMC's crest of a striking golden winged manticore surrounded by a crimson background stared them down. Their stand formed a protective shield from their absolute goal. This black jacketed and green panted screen surrounded a man who just a few moments before was at their mercy…

"Yes, Captain, I might just agree with you."

"In that case, Gunny…" Ken's facial expression would have frozen Hades.

"…their boss is mine alone. You can have everyone else. Do what you need to survive and prevent them from getting to our people."

The marines and the naval officer all detected movement from the gang toward them.

"Well Marines, it looks like they read our minds."

...

Ken's consciousness separated itself from his mind as the twin's attackers charged forward. His eyes remained on the Boss even while he ducked under a punch from some lackey. A vicious uppercut to the gut and an elbow to the back of the fool's head floored him. His skull bouned off the ground.

Ken ignored the defeated man as his real target approached him. A rapid one-two punch combination stunned Ken. A bruise started to form on his jaw bone.

He was getting complacent. Something clicked inside him. This new part wondered about the strange look on the boss's face as his entire form went into a defensive position. Confusion, wonder, and…maybe fear appeared in the other's eyes. Ken's left hand raised itself in position above and in front of his right. Both partially cupped as though natural.

An additional threat materialized as a metallic sliver emerged in the boss's uninjured hand.

A slash drove the weapon towards Ken's midsection. A swift turn and the blade flew past him. The serrated blade ripped the fabric covering his shoulders. Ken ignored the focus in the man's eyes.

Those same eyes widened completely as a steel grip wrapped itself around his knife wrist. He tried pulling the exposed limb back but it was useless. Ken's bent limb refused to flex, its form stiff. In a lightning flash, Ken yanked the limb perfectly straight and rammed his free hand onto the elbow joint and pushed upward.

The joint bent reversed. Ligaments and tendons gave away to the surgical but powerful strike. The Boss's scream followed broken bones. The fighting stopped as the aghast gang members stared at the twisted limb dangling from the shoulder.

They had never faced a person with the training of Ken or the marines had. All brawlers and shooters for the most part, the gang never realized what they walked into. They did not know that ALL Manticorean military personnel were trained in the basics of the martial arts.

Specifically coup de vitesse…

Ken continued forward as the Boss staggered back. His injured hand a scarred, bleeding shield in an attempt to protect the piece of meat formerly known as an arm. Quickened breaths and tears escaped from his air and tear ducts. His feet almost tripped over themselves in their attempt at escape.

But it was futile. A pair of coal eyes tracked him. A shadow eclipsed a teetering man. A punch was thrown in ken's direction, only to slap away with his right hand. The danger negligible. Noise battered the soldier's eardrums as the fights between marines and social outcasts rebooted.

Ken pivoted on his left foot in a circle. His form perfect as the days he mastered the move all those years ago on the training mats at the Naval Academy at Saganami Island. Under the watchful eyes of Chief Petty Officer MacDougal, he slowly mastered the moves and counter-moves. Their speed, go for broke ferocity and deadliness. They became second nature, drilled into his skull by the bruises, sprains and the constant corrections.

A left spinning back elbow smashed into the Boss's face, crushing his nose. Renewed screams resonated in the air, only to be cut down. Coughing shook the Boss and a howl froze the audience as the injured man tried to stop the river of blood. Normal instinctive response raised both arms with painful results.

"Captain, look out!"

Ken's head twisted around to see Gunny Williams drop her man with a judo throw. She threw the man over her shoulder to the ground with his own momentum. Her raised eyes pointed past him and he turned.

Right into the knife…

It torn through Ken's skin with vile efficiency. Its custom made jagged edge with its gut-hook opposite edge sliced through the skin. Ken gripped the crimson streaked forearm, his hunched form trying to rebalance itself after the sneak attack. He turned over the arm to see the wound. Red, pink and white peeked out from the damaged tissue.

The new attacker laughed at the twisted facial expression on Ken's face and pulled a small pistol to continue his attack.

But not before the entire alleyway was shattered by a war cry.

It resembled ripping canvas but not even the marines knew what it was. Ken turned in another direction pushed by something deeper yet indescribable but for a lucky group who had ever experienced it.

His eyes could scarcely keep up with the scene in front of him. It seemed so impossible. A blur flashed in and out of the light. The disorientation making the prospect of tracking the almost mirage grim at best.

Ken turned slightly and by instinct backed away from the new human attacker. His eyes miraculously tracked the blur as it approached him.

…And darted past him. The queen's officer saw color inside the distortion. Cream and grey. Ken immediately raised his limbs for his protection but kept his head toward the direction of this new variable.

The variable jumped into the air and the blur cleared. A look appeared on the attacker's face.

Pure crippling fear.

All due to a Sphinxian treecat named Alexander.

...

Alexander's body was aloft in the air. Every claw on his six limbs extended themselves to full length. The same claws entitled the treecat to be one of the dominant predators on Sphinx, one of the three planets of the Star Kingdom. Sharply curved and close to one and a half centimeters in length, the ivory claws related themselves to shark teeth than anything else. The seriated inner surface created the impression of twenty-four naturally evolved razor blades. Twenty four claws which would now put to good use.

The humans in the alleyway had never seen a treecat in full-on attack mode. Of course, its adopted human had never been threatened in such a dangerous way before in which it could get rid of the threat personally.

But after tonight, anyone who had seen this supposedly cute and cuddly creature in action would never forget the damage it could cause if driven over the edge.

...

The first swipe wrecked the man's cheek, exposing the muscle structure beneath with blood gushing from the wound. But the guy was not screaming at the face wounds.

No you see Alexander had latched onto his clothes. Unlike with Mr. Moseby, this was no accident Alexander's claws dug into the Ken's attacker's clothes and into his skin as well. Hands vainly grasped at the creature, only to have the claws dice up his fingers. Screams roared out of his mouth.

But Alexander never stopped. Not for a half second. He lashed out at any piece of flesh he could get at. He was the berserk buzzsaw. The description treecats had earned for themselves while they were in attack mode.

The claws ripped out his eyes, blinding him. His face ended as hellish gore, resembling ground hamburger more than anything else.

The new injuries logged themselves over the others. His clothes ended up as cotton mache as they mixed with the falling rain and the blooding bursting from the body with enough force to replicate a geyser.

The man's shoulders and chest were an anatomy student's dream. Flayed skin uncovered the internals of the man, allowing the macabre view to be the perfect visual lesson.

The buzz saw reached the poor man's neck. Last vestiges of resistance melted away as destructive slashes worse than any razor criss-crossed the craw. Dying screams ceased as the trachea was severed. Blood ran down the exposed throat. Bloody silent gasps as air and blood escaped as Alexander dropped from the neck.

The body fell forward as the twenty pound treecat dashed away. Its clothes permanently stained in its red life stream.

Ken looked silently toward the carcass. A growing plasma sun surrounding the body. An unreadable expression on his face.

Ken started to move, his eyes catching the forms of the coming marines. Groaning and shivering bodies scattered around them and his face remained stone.

The looks on the marines' faces told the whole story. Trained cold- blooded killers when needed but the shocked and slightly squeamish faces spoke volumes as they walked closer to the death scene.

The marines stared at the view. Only pure experience, gripping fortitude and combat training prevented them from reacting how civilians would. The vista of a cream and grey (and now red) treecat cutting down an adult man into raw shredded meat confounded them. A ferry fanged demon of death.

Two of them. One human, one treecat. Both dangerous and lethal in their own way. One covered in blood, the other detachment.

Ken walked past the hissing, on edge red streaked treecat over his former tracks. What he found was the gang's boss, practically shaking out of his clothes. His dazed face stared back at Ken but jerked himself away when Ken's footsteps placed himself with himself.

"Please…don't…I'm sorry." His eyes switched between Ken's face, Alexander, and the dead associate.

"Have mer.."

The begging was disrupted as Ken's left foot and struck the side of the boss's right knee. The boss started to scream but abruptly his voice gave out giving away to a silent agonizing miming scream. The pain destroyed whatever cohesion he had left.

All the while, Ken's golem face stared at the once powerful man, now crippled as he hoped to stop the pain from completely wrecking him. Ken's eyes gave the only emotion. Coldness even apathy for the state of the man.

Still bleeding from the knife wound, Ken drew back his right hand, his inhuman eyes targeting the focus of his quest. The gunshot fist destroyed the man face. It could have been described as going twelve rounds with the heavyweight champion of the world and living to tell the tale.

Ken stared at the fallen man. A package of twisted limbs, shattered expectations and darkened memories, he was a sight to behold. Surrounding him in the alley was his crew. All now beat or broken. In the beginning, they expected an easy night. By the end, the question was up in the air if anyone was going to live in one piece. In this case, ignorance was not bliss. It was traumatizing.

Ken shook his head. The first sign of any emotion in 5 minutes. He smiled. A deep space smile lifted the mask on his face. Or just created a new one.

"You know you were right about one thing…" The smile widened to wipe any hope in the universe as he turned to look on the semi-circle of marines. They backed up a foot or two at the dark fire in his eyes. He turned his back toward the former leader on the ground.

"It does suck to be you."

**Enough for you? Who's cute, cuddly and innocent now?**

**Oh those claws were canon in the Honorverse. I guess I sort of foreshadowed the heck of them, didn't I?**

**The coup de vitesse is canon in the Honor Harrington series. As a matter of fact, I paraphrased the claw's and coup's description directly from the books.**

**I have a feeling some of you wanted to see another side to Ken, so what do you think?**

**I had another scene to add in to this but I wanted to get this off my computer and on the site. That will be added to the next chapter.**

**I fought through a couple of bouts of writers block with this and trying to get what I saw in my head into the chapter. The eternal struggle…but it worked out pretty well.**

**I upload an image of the M7 and other marines onto my profile. As the site is having issues with outside links, you should to copy and paste the link and the image should come up. If not pm me. I have it posted on my DeviantArts account as well. My name there is templehawk.**

**As always please read and review. Any questions or comment will be accepted and answered within the concept of not giving the story away.**

**Until next time….**


	20. The Endless Night

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Suite Life or the Honor Harrington Book series. But I do own the OCs in the story.**

**Thanks to Tiger002 and Darkelements10 for betaing the chapter.**

"What the…."

It was a truly a scene out of the twilight zone.

Pillows hung out of their pillowcases with one drooped off the back of hide-away-bed. Striped and solid table top pool balls peppered the floor. Shattered table glass layered the carpet in two places. TV controllers, flowers, drink glasses, and clothes marked the suite making it resemble battleground. Books lay next to busted table legs and human beings. A doctor, four arms men, and one princess of the realm to be exact.

"What happened?"

Joanna turned her head to see Ken and moved from behind Alice Powe's protective frontal shield. Her eyes widened as she looked at the bruise on his jaw and the wrapping on his right arm.

Joanna's eyes searched him and their trajectory found the furry minion on his shoulder. Her mouth opened.

"We can talk about it later. I need to know what happened with the boys." Joanna's mouth closed at Ken's interjection and nodded.

"Zack and Cody arrived with an escort about 30 minutes ago. We immediately checked them for injuries but before we could get far, Zack woke up and started fighting us. No matter what we did, he would not stop. We had to leave the room before he hurt himself, Cody or us."

Ken frowned as he looked at the clock. It had been two hours since he was talking to the twins in the lobby about a stupid mess.

Ken's thoughts paused as he approached the open door. He felt Joanna behind him along with Alice, ready to protect her.

He inched along the wall and peeked in.

…

Ken's soul chilled at the sight of the animal like child in front of him. His tattered clothes still covered his body. He resembled a zombie more than a child.

Ken felt Alexander's tail wrap around his neck as the tree cat leaned toward his head, rubbing his furry head in Ken's hair, softly crooning in his ear. His hand scratched the tree cat's coat as the pair's eyes stared at the tiny scarred human.

Tears streaks knifed through the broken reddened skin. His eyebrows almost melted into the hued skin as slightly purple lips erupted into sight.

His shaking hands held a fake wooden pool stick. One of the two pool sticks from the 10 in 1 sports table the twins received just after Cody started to live with them.

The older twin's grip kept retightening on the slender object. White bled through the bruised and swollen knuckles. Two pairs of eyes narrowed as they saw a slight flinch each time the boy's hands moved.

The white T-shirt super glued itself onto Zack's skin, defining every last injury. There were at least a dozen spots where blood soaked the shirt. His pants appeared almost black in spots with the soaked fibers and blood stains.

The man cringed in memory of past boardings after pirate attacks or finding "volunteer" crewmen abroad captive merchantmen for "technical support". Some male, some female. The eyes haunted him the most. On the brink, one step away from destroying their rescuers or themselves with their bare limbs.

_Just like Zack looks like…_

Ken suppressed a shudder as another thought passed through him.

_Then there were the slave ships…._

Zack's eyes kept searching until they found Ken. Eyes narrowed in instinctive reaction. The bloodshot eyes almost exploding…

Ken fell backward as a hardcover book whisked toward his head. Alexander dove toward the floor, the book's spine whistling past his fur. The tree cat landed on Ken's upper legs (claws retracted) and stared back as the Queen's officer braced himself with his arms.

Ken looked back. Everything was flipped upside down, so he turned over and stood up and saw the book in Alice Powe's hand. Her body was in front of Joanna. A raised eyebrow greeted Ken.

"Kid's got a heck of arm…"

Ken smiled. "Yeah, he could have a career as an American football player." Tension swam into his muscles as he felt Alexander crawling up his back and back onto his shoulder.

A dumbfounded look stared back at him.

"American football sir?"

Ken paused realizing Powe's lack of knowledge on local sports culture.

"Nevermind." Ken turned to his mind toward Surgeon Lt. Commander Mauricio Neukirch. The circular bruise on his cheek turned purple as he winced.

"I think Zack is in some state of shock. Don't you agree, Doc?"

Recognition answered the question.

"Yes I think he could be. Actually as a matter of fact, I can almost guarantee it."

"Shock?"

Neukirch answered Joanna's one word question.

"I think the boy is suffering from trauma. Whatever happened to him tonight is still affecting him." Mauricio's dark brown eyes looked over towards Ken and then back to Joanna.

"It appears as though he still thinks he's in danger. Right now, the only thing on his mind is his survival. Nothing else matters."

"What about Cody?"

"I would say that's fallen completely from Zack's focus right now. His actions say it all. Defending himself also protects his brother as well."

Ken jerked toward Neukirch.

"Were you able to see what injuries the pair sustained tonight?"

The doctor frowned, his broad shoulders sagged.

"As I can tell, both suffered cases of hypothermia and dehydration. But I was not able to do a full scan and examination before Zack lashed out at us. I would like to complete it since we still don't know the true extent of their injuries with what we saw on the way in which only the cuts and bruises on their limbs and faces"

"The problem is how do we get Zack to calm down enough?"

There was quiet for a few seconds before Joanna spoke.

"What if I went in there to calm him down?"

"That would not be wise at the moment. He may be a child but need I remind you of the cornered mouse?"

Joanna stared at her boyfriend.

"We have to do something. We can't just stand here-"

Powe interrupted her, "I agree but not at the risk of your safety."

Ken looked at the princess with searching eyes but she saw his expression.

"I have my reasons for wanting this."

Ken shook his head and groaned loudly.

"Fine…" Ken saw the revolt in Powe's eyes. "…But Lt. Powe goes with you. I don't like this at all. But considering I can't win, I have to make sure you get out of this alive unless I want to suffer certain people's wrath."

Joanna nodded without the hint of a triumphant smile on her face. Ken watched her move toward the door, ignoring the curious look on the doctor's face.

…..

"Zack, it's me Joanna. I am out here."

The words orphaned themselves to the dead air in the bedroom doorway. Two opened and raised hands joined them.

"I am not trying to hurt you, okay? I…We want to help you. "

Black hair found itself in view followed by dark mahogany skin and a pair of brown eyes.

Her face paled slightly as Zack appeared full in view before her.

Joanna banished her shock and continued.

"Zack, you are hurt. I know…"Joanna stopped to control her breathing. "I know we have made mistakes, things we wish could have gone better. But right now all we're worried about is you and Cody."

Joanna leaned forward to move but stopped. Zack's right hand had moved to a book. Its title shining in the light. The pool stick still lodged in his left.

Lord of the Flies.

Joanna swallowed as Zack continued to stares holes in her. Even while keeping his body in front of Cody's. His heavy breathing shattered the quiet room.

"We need to get you looked at. If we do not, you could get hurt worse. There could be injuries we do not know about."

The princess saw Zack's muscles spasm but still maintain their guard. She frowned, dismayed at the involuntary movements, until she remembered the other twin.

"What about Cody? He's injured too. "

Zack's eyes widened microscopically and they moved slightly away from Joanna, who proceeded to go further.

"He's needs help just like you do, maybe even more. You want him to feel better, right? To smile again and watch him grow up with you? To know that he's there in the same room when you sleep and wake up?"

The royal's voice broke for a second but she willed herself to stay composed.

"That's what you want, am I right?"

The question was not left unanswered. Zack tore his eyes away from the adults in his mind and Cody was the only thing he looked at.

The princess and the armswoman who stood at her shoulder watched as the boy lowered the pool stick. The white tip grazing the carpet. His eyes abandoned of the earlier manic stare for the moment. His shoulders slouched and ready to fall off. The tear streaks dried up. The bruises standing out from the slowly whitening skin.

"Cody," he said in the quietest whisper that Joanna could barely hear.

…...

"Is it alright if I can come in now?"

The voice jumpstarted Zack. Joanna stared horrified as Zack flashed to the Lord of the Flies.

"Zack, its Doctor Neukirch. We met at the hospital after the car accident, remember?"

Zack stopped with his arm cocked and ready to fire. Powe's arm on Joanna's shoulder, ready to push her to the floor.

The doctor smiled at his former patient, still a few feet away.

"You were a fantastic patent then. So patient with the tests, even though I knew you hated being there."

The calm voice seemed to mesmerize the awake twin. Zack's form seemed to grow smaller as the words spoke to him.

"Now I am here to make sure you and your brother are alright."

Neukirch walked toward one standing and one fallen child and lowered himself to Zack's height, who leaned back, his eyes wondering on the doctor's bruise on his cheek.

"You know I was trying to help you recover from your injuries back then right?"

Zack gave the smallest of nods.

"This is the same thing except I now have two patients instead of just one. I think your brother needs to be looked at right away so we can make sure he's safe. Can I do that?"

The Navy doctor could almost see the thoughts whirling inside the boy's head. He could see the combative emotions in the boy's eyes. Just others he had seen. The choice to trust, to hope, to give up total control to others, to wonder if they were going to be hurt even more than in the previous situation.

His career has brought all types of trauma to him. But never twins. He could not imagine the bond they shared. No one had the desperate choice to let go and relieve the protection and safety of his brother into the faith of another….

Zack's green pupils x-rayed the doctor as if they searching for any flaws in the man. His head gave a firm but short nod.

"Thank you." The doctor's canyon deep voice swelled with relief.

His heavy- gravity world conditioned form turned to see Joanna and Powe's anxiety melt from them and he motioned for his medical supplies.

"Thank you. Would you have a medical staff nearby to help in case I need them?"

"Yes, we do, considering we are not completely assured of the local's expertise with the medical technology."

"I understand Your Highness, but they are getting better. Not up to our standards but it's just a matter of training and trial and error."

"Relax your Highness..." The Surgeon Lt. Commander said quickly at Powe's grimacing and Joanna's raised eyebrow. "…This is not the first time I've come into a situation where I acquired knowledge of things where it is best that I tell no one. You have my word as a doctor first and an officer that it will be kept."

"I will keep you at your word then. In the meantime, you have two patients."

"Of course."

Mauricio Neukirch turned back and opened his medical kit. It was a lot less though than a full medical bay but it would have to do.

He turned toward Cody's body but Zack's body covered his twin's.

The doctor's heart warmed at the sight, reminding him of his own family and his three siblings.

"Zack, I swore an oath that would never hurt any of my patients. I have no intention of breaking it now."

Water eroding sand would have been faster than Zack but finally he removed himself. Only to grasp his brother left hand as Mauricio sighed.

"You can stay there and watch if you want, but I might have to ask you to move a little so I can do my job, alright?" Zack bit his lip and agreed.

Split second wincing broke through Neukirch's professional detachment as he lifted Cody's shirt and stared at the patchy discoloration on his skin. He could see Zack's apprehensive eyes as his probing fingers glided themselves over the inert body's ribs, careful to avoid the many bruises.

"I need to see all of your brother's injuries, Zack. Can you help me getting his shirt off?"

Zack's eyes screamed a question and the good doctor answered.

"Once I…we remove the shirt, it will be easier to figure out what wrong with him."

An unfamiliar device appeared in the healer's hands as he turned from his medical kit to see Zack locked onto this new mystery.

"This device I am holding is a scanner. It helps me see what injuries Cody could have inside his body. It will not hurt him at all. It's like… an x-ray machine. That's all. He will not even feel it when it's used. "

The shirt started to unravel itself from its owner's body as Zack gently pulled his other half's arms from their prison. Cody's hair fell helplessly on his head as the shirt unwrapped itself from his head. Zack's hands braced the tilting body and slowly lowered it back to the floor, not even making a sound as the head touched the carpet.

The scanner wormed its way around Cody's frozen form. The screen glowing and changing as the touch pad commands glowed and augmented the data. The doctor enlarged the view screen at specific areas as compulsive vigilance creased his face.

It was interrupted only for the doctor to adeptly examine and scan Cody's lower half. Zack kept coming to the same spot every time and Neukirch wondered why. Until he saw who Zack was trying to stay in front of and prevent them from seeing…

"Excuse me, Your Highness, Lt. Powe, would you mind taking this copy of Cody's records of the scan to that medical team you had on standby. I want them to see if I missed anything. I don't think I have but another pair of eyes can't hurt."

The dark brown haired medical professional's eyes swiveled from Joanna to Zack. Zack who happened to be sitting and blocking to the best of his ability as much as Cody's barely clothed form as he could.

"Of course, I see your point. I completely agree under the circumstances."

Joanna took the data pad from Neukirch's now standing form and walked out of the room, followed by Alice Powe. A few seconds later, Sergeant Cummings walked into the scene and took up a post by the door.

The scanner restarted its previous movements, the low humming providing the bass for the scene.

A smile split the mask on the doctor's face.

"Very good news. It appears your brother has no broken bones or serious injuries. Beyond the massive amounts of scrapes and bruises, he's fine."

The markings of Zack's smile told the story. The entire world lifted off the boy's shoulders. Zack grabbed a heavy blanket from his bed and cocooned his brother inside it after grabbing some pajamas. He was about to put them on Cody until the doctor said to wait.

"We need to check on you now. You don't appear to be seriously hurt but I want to check anyway."

The second patient stared at his medical keeper until he rolled up his sleeves. The doctor almost rolled his eyes.

…..

"How are they?"

The question jolted Mauricio until he recognized Ken staring through the wall. An indescribable tone in his voice.

"All things considered Captain, they are in good shape. No serious injuries or fractures by some miracle I cannot describe. But they will be sleeping for awhile. I'll stay the night to see if they are any new issues. But as long we deal with the dehydration and the slight hypothermia properly, I don't see why we need to worry. They are in bed sleeping with a new set of clothes, almost buried under the covers."

"What about those bruises?"

Joanna's worried tone vibrated off him.

"Both of them are dealing with bone bruises in some areas, so I gave them small quantities of quick heal to decrease their downtime. For the most part, it's up to their bodies to heal themselves. The bruises should be gone within a day or two. The soreness will be them for a while until they get moving around. Zack's laceration on his hand was pretty deep but I cleaned it up. That will be a few days until it goes away completely. "

"Thank you. In the meantime, get something to eat. You deserve it. I'll order room service. We have a spare across the hall we can reserve for you for the night so you can sleep. Our emergency med team can cover for a couple of hours. We'll call you if they notice anything."

Joanna guided the doctor to the exit while she motioned Cummings to watch over them.

…..

The tree cat's fur felt a second skin to him. Sometimes, it was the most comforting thing in the universe to him.

The clicking of a door attracted his attention and turned to see Joanna looking at him.

His girlfriend walked over to boyfriend and sat on his other side.

Ken looked up at a patient woman. But a woman whose eyes he dived into more once in his life.

"Well what a night…"

"It's almost the end of the night."

Both looked at the clock. Its hands spoke to the stillness of 11:00.

"To go from a party to a bare-knuckled butt kicking in the middle of a dark alley, was not on my schedule. Oh, add a gun and a few blades to the ruckus too while you are at it."

"I presume Alexander was just sitting there watching this all happen?"

Ken stared at his girlfriend's relaxed posture. But something about her seemed completely opposite to her pose. Everything seemed to have the temperament of total vigilance. Like a watchdog program for human beings. He admired her determination and wondered how she had honed it. His guard would hold up against a lot of things, but he knew one thing, he could not outlast her.

Definitely not.

"No, he was directly involved. There was no way he could stay out of it."

"I thought so. Of course, the red on his fur pelt is not paint. Add in your wound and something tells me it did not end well for your opponent. I suspect his claws had something to do with it?"

Ken barely held in his reaction to Joanna's reveal. He was not surprised at all. After all, seven of the last nine monarchs including her mother and grandfather had been adopted by tree cats. Heck even her father, the Prince Consort had been adopted by the late king's tree cat after his untimely death. So if any non-adopted human would know that much about their protective nature and their fury when provoked, it would be Joanna. She had been around them since she was a child. In the fact, the monarchy threw its full support behind the creation of the Sphinx Forestry Service, which protected the tree cats under the Ninth Amendment of the Manticorean Constitution. In essence, the Royal family never stopped until the Amendment passed almost four hundred years prior. Between her family's impact upon the tree cats' situation and being surrounded by them during breakfast, lunch and dinner for years, Ken's lack of astonishment was absolutely natural.

He wondered though if she knew everything. After there was a difference between being watching them impact Mount Royal and being adopted by one. A huge one….

Ken shifted his mind back to the current situation.

"Yeah, they did. Let's just say someone ended up being closer to a huge fountain by the time my furry minion was finished with them."

A part of him wanted to laugh at Joanna's response. It was so controlled yet so obvious to him. He saw the slightest tremor in her fingers which was banished as her right hand re-griped the couch arm. Her pupils widened but her control forced back to normal. It was so Joanna under full control. But her voice wasn't.

"What about you?" It seemed heavy and Ken detected the backing off from edge of hoarseness.

"As for me, I only did what was needed to make sure Zack and Cody got out alive."

The princess's eyes told another story as her voice returned to normal. Except for her questioning tone.

"With your training, that could mean a lot of things."

Ken realized it was better to come out with it than hide it.

"As for specifics, none were killed, but there injuries involved. Some physical, even some mental I suspect. None potentially lethal."

Ken felt his walls collapsing…

"There was one who ended up with a shattered arm and leg and a busted face." Ken finished quickly. "He'll live but he will have difficulty for a while."

Joanna moved over in a flash.

"You realize the…."

"Yes I know, but we will cross that bridge when and if we come to it."

Their hands interlocked for a few precious seconds until Joanna's head landed on Ken's left shoulder. Two male hands wrapped themselves her body and embraced the quietness.

The seconds ticked by. A blissful eternity plagued by apprehension and occupied minds. One of those mental channels overflowed and needed to be opened.

"You know I wondered if I had messed up too."

"Misery loves company, huh?" A poke to his ribs changed Ken's tune.

"I have the same fears too. I suspect all parents do at one time or in this case, these are not "our" children. "

"That does not a difference to me. Zero difference. I was just afraid I was not brought up in the right environment."

Ken flabbergasted face stared back at her.

"Environment is not everything. Remember what my life experiences were?" Ken continued after Joanna nodded.

"Besides you turned out fined. Granted, somebody might believe you might be too sheltered but it's not like you were brought up by wolves. "

"Thanks." Sarcasm rang in the room.

"What I mean is that parenting is a learning experience. Just like life. We grow with our successes and try to limit our mistakes and we learn from them."

"You are starting to sound like mom. But you're right. It should be interesting because of our backgrounds."

"No kidding but I wonder about the boys. Are there things we can improve on or are there possibilities we are missing? "

"Unfortunately I can see that happening. What do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure. Tonight has caused me to rethink a lot of things. It has to be centered on the boys in the end. It may cause us to change some things. Can you give me a few hours? I'll need to piece it together. It might be personal."

"Just do not get buried under it." Joanna gave a quick kiss on his cheek and stared into his eyes.

"I'll take the first watch on the boys. It will be smart to have one of us awake when they do. Here…."

"I'll agree completely." Ken caught the blanket she tossed and maneuvered to get comfortable.

"Now that we are considering holes in our massive egos, I have one. I mean besides the fear of failing parenting. You know when we saw Cody for the first time? When you went to lunch with his local social worker?

"Yes as a matter of fact, I do. You were acting a little weird that day. I wondered if something was up."

"Well, you see… I paid a visit to someone." Ken sighed deeply as he remembered the event.

The sounds of footsteps grew louder as Joanna moved closer to him.

"Who did you meet?"

"I met one of Cody's abusers. He was housed in a county jail nearby. I was in there for a short while. He said something to me that haunted me. Honestly I almost wanted to kill him on the spot but I stopped myself. I had trouble dealing with the idea that he mentioned. That's why I was not able to tell you about it."

"Go on." The strong voice pushed him on.

"Their original intention was to kidnap both twins and sell them. He confessed to it saying that could get a lot of money for them but all the attention stopped them from getting to Zack. My first idea was child porn. The second was prostitution. Either way, the two would have been better off dead."

Ken looked up at Joanna. Her closed eyes made her appear like a stature but it was far from the truth.

Her eyes opened up and they shimmered like the sun. She could only bob her head as she nibbled on her lip.

"It just shows how human beings can be the most repulsive creatures to ever exist." Ken's voice broke and tears dribbled down his cheeks. "Tonight brought it back up because I was afraid they end in a situation because of what happened."

"But you stopped it. And you showed how human beings can also be the most noble creatures in other settings as well." Joanna walked over to Ken and hugged him.

"I wouldn't want to talk about it for a while if I had heard that. Just promise next time you won't hold it in. It's not healthy."

"It's not easy after so long. Some things are harder to change than others."

"I know, I know."

The clock continued to tick as the night continued to go deeper. Two adults shifting through their human faults.

**The medical scanner was a cheat since the series has given only basic description for the medical equipment. Practically nothing at all about the battlefield medical equipment used to treat injuries. So that's the reason for the vagueness. Just something in the back of my mind.**

**EDIT: As I was doing research for the next couple of chapters, I found an entry during a battle scene of a pair of eye goggled magnifiers. Based on story context, i am thinking along the lines of a miniaturized x-ray. So yes its there, the only specific mention I have found so so out 22 books and counting. Its a small mistake to me considering my desire to keep faithful to certain aspects of the Honorverse. But I did not feel like changing the couple of paragraphs it affected so its staying. It shows you and myself nobody's perfect. **

**Oh by the way, Surgeon Lt. Commander Mauricio Neukirch is not mine at all. He originally appeared in as a Surgeon Lt. in the Honorverse mini story "Let's Dance" from the In Fire Forged anthology last year. I gave him a promotion considering the time between that story and when Rebirth is set. Reading the story will reveal what he meant by knowledge which it would wise to tell no one of and reveal more of the universe you are reading. Including a very dark topic of which I mentioned here.**

**Please Read and Review. If any questions, just PM me.**

**Until next time.**


	21. Restart Choices

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life Tv series or the Honor Harrington book series.**

**Thanks to Darkelements10 and Tiger002 for betaing and the suggestions for this chapter.**

The young boy opened his eyes. Everything appeared blurry. The cloudiness in his vision making it impossible to distinguish color or shape.

He moved his hand against this strange material. A bed sheet? So soft. What was he on? A bed? He pushed his hand against the mattress. The creaky sound confirmed his guess.

But was it real? After all that happened, how could it be? Maybe it was heaven.

That's it. This was heaven, so warm and enveloping.

A blood freezing chill engulfed his body for a second. His eyes watered as past sensations ripped apart his psyche.

Air so cold suddenly enveloped him. His heart hurt with each breath. The agony growing worse with each second. Every movement an explosion of tears.

He tasted blood in his mouth. The metallic tang gagged him as he swallowed his saliva.

Air sharp as razor blades sliced through his lips. Red streaks of blood cut through the deadened skin.

His fingertips and toes melted into the ground, the blood escaping, trying to live for another day, not caring about its host.

Light and darkness tore at his body, fighting for control of the young boy. One held hope, the other only fear, the unknown, and death.

Fear squeezed his heart until he was almost crushed. Its breakneck rhythm signaled the end of one thing horror and the beginning of something even worse.

His neck whiplashed from the cannonball like punch and hacking coughs hammered his lungs shrinking them into rugs of air beaten by the bones of the boy's chest.

He felt the sting of bone colliding against bone only to hear laughter around him. Terror doused his dreams. Anguish cut up his soul.

His head banged on the ground. Stars ping-ponged in his eyes.

The stars dwindled one by one as his eyes shuttered.

He wrapped his arms around his body and buried his eyes in his thighs, not feeling the thick pajamas absorbing his body heat.

A sound soon broke him out of his prison.

A human groan.

He looked up, saw nothing and rolled over. The blanket caressed his clothed form, sharing its gift of comfort.

His heart stopped as blond hair shown in the morning light. Its locks bordering a face known since before memory existed.

His brain overloaded as all ordered thought died before conception. The monotone breathing provided the soundtrack to a finger moving toward this face. A face his memory grabbed onto with its last fingertip.

Crestfallen with the knowledge, it could not be real.

Why had his mind tortured him in such a way?

He did not care. He had to know.

The digit created an impression in the cheek and the offender.

The head twitched, its mouth mumbled and settled back into its hibernation. Leaving its audience's mind in a time freeze.

Until the sleeping boy started to scratch himself.

Revulsion or joy punched each other until joy won with a right hook.

Sheets and blankets became walls to a goal and but they were kicked, pushed and thrown off as the boy lunged toward the sleeping occupant.

…..

Cody enveloped Zack as he wrapped his arms around mid-section and wedging his head into his chest. The sound of his twin's heart the most glorious drum ever.

"What's going…...on?" Zack asked through a massive yawn.

Cody wanted to laugh to Zack's slowness but held back.

"Cody, is that you? It is you!" Zack fell backward as his twin squashed him flat on the bed.

"I missed you too."

Cody looked up to see tears stubbornly fall down Zack's cheeks as he stared at his older brother. He gently wiped them from his face. A fixated stare appeared on Zack's face as the hand reached up to touch him. But it was gone just as fast.

"Thanks…can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Can you get off me for a second? When I woke up, my hand was under me and it's asleep."

"Oops, sorry."

Zack flexed his hand as Cody moved his weight off his sternum only to grin at his brother.

"Zack, I can't breathe."

Zack released the surprise bug hug to his brother but his hands remained on his brother's arms even through only a few centimeters separated the two.

"Good, it appears as though you two are awake."

The two turned with viper quickness to recoil at the sight of the speaker.

…..

Ken bit his lip as Cody moved almost instantly, instinctively toward his brother.

The room was quiet for a few seconds as if it needed the anticipation to prepare itself for what was coming.

"No, this is not a dream and no yesterday was not a nightmare." Ken would have liked it better that way. That those things could be just forgotten as a fantasy conducted by the subconscious. But he couldn't pretend reality wasn't real. "Things happened yesterday that cannot be taken back." He had made a mistake, like all of us do. Perhaps it was just a part of being human, letting emotions overrule reason and patience for those split seconds. But in that short amount of time, words that can never be unsaid are spoken. "I don't how to say this,…I'm sorry wouldn't begin to describe it. It's too shallow, repeated too many times by too many people, like it's lost all meaning and power. But how else can I say it?"  
Ken shrugged helplessly.

"Unfortunately…" Ken sounded almost dead as he finished but emotions stormed back into his voice as he spoke again.

"I am not angry at you for what happened yesterday. Not one bit." Ken rubbed his face and stretched, his sleeves retracted, his foster sons' expressions ignored. A thin white almost transparent scar ran down his arm from elbow to half down toward his wrist. "I'm angry at myself." Ken leaned back in the chair against the wall, while his fingers drummed lightly on Alexander's prone form in his lap. The tree cat's tail laid perfectly still against the officer's leg. Its deep green eyes wavered back and forth between the boys. "My anger…my embarrassment of what happened caused you to get hurt, almost killed and vaulted all of us into a state where two children could have died."

The twins almost needed hearing aids to hear ken's next statement.

"A state in which no parent wants to find themselves in."

The blond haired audience stayed quiet as Ken looked up. His bloodshot eyes and his hollowed face contrasted the pseudo-smile on his face.

"Speaking of parents….Joanna!"

Footsteps announced her presence. The room felt a touch of warmth as she entered and smiled at the boys.

"Well, you both look much better. I was afraid you were going to sleep the whole day away."

Cody's voice broke for a second.

"The…whole day?"

"Yes, you were asleep since last night. It's almost 5 in the evening."

Two chins dropped to the floor as the captain restarted.

"It's true; the Marines and Sergeant Cummings brought you back here after the search teams and myself found you." Ken avoided Joanna's lightning narrowed eyed stare as he finished. "In the end, after getting checked out by Zack's doctor from the hospital, he gave treatment and put you to asleep to allow your bodies to heal."

"What's going to happen now?"

Joanna and Ken looked to see Zack gently holding Cody. They exchanged looks until Ken slowly dipped his head.

"Well the first thing to do to improve the situation between us. Let's be honest, you should never have any reason to fear me. You're a child; you should be able to live within the boundaries of reasonable rules given to you, agreed?"

Zack and Cody turned to each other and raised their eyes and turned back to Ken and gradually agreed with him.

"Granted, you might not like it when we have take TV or something you like away from you but that's because that's the price you pay when you misbehave and it's only because we care for you."

"One moment, love…" Joanna touches Ken's hand, who stops and gestures toward the twins.

Joanna walked toward the bed and sat on the outer edge. Both boys' arms and feet twitched as Joanna's slim form sunk the corner and Joanna made no mention of it.

"Can I ask something? Did you fear what would happen to you after what happened in the ballroom? What we might do to you?"

The questions hit the brothers with the force of a double barreled shotgun to the face. They tittered, only to grab the comforter around them. The deer in the headlights look grew bigger until the heads moved with creaky slowness until they stared into Joanna's eyes and both affirmed her queries.

The foster parents shared a disheartened look.

"It's what we feared." Joanna's voice was steady but despondency laced it and took a deep breath.

"We have to change things even if they are minor."

"Agreed." Ken's voice mystified Joanna. She had never heard it before.

"Call the Foreign office. Request that I need to be reassigned to a different position. Explain that other personal responsibilities have come up that have taken priority in my life. These new changes will affect my availability in the Service of the Star Kingdom."

And if for some odd reason they refuse to allow you to change positions?" The princess's prying question rolled off her boyfriend. The air hanged on Ken's answer.

"Then I'll resign effective immediately."

Ken saw the boys' eyes bug out of their sockets but he killed the humor in his mind as he moved closer toward the black haired, darker skinned woman. The truth grated on him.

"I took too much on at first. I was burnt out between the traveling for the negotiations and dealing with all the annoyances that comes with them, you Joanna coming here, and foster parenting. Sometimes I felt an air car with its safety systems disabled!"

His hands slapping the chairs startled Alexander. With a nurse's touch, the tree cat made his displeasure known with claws. But Ken petted him in acknowledgement and the now completely silver and gray animal settled down.

A drained male voice reached out to his minor aged audience.

"And the ballroom and last night was the result. Too much stress put us one step from the unforgivable. I can't say how sorry I am for that." Ken cleared his throat and marched on with a combination of relief and self-censure. "Sometimes a person needs to realize his limits and pull back. Sometimes this happens with casualties, sometimes it doesn't. We should thankful the damage done here can be repaired with some effort and hopefully with no bad long-term consequences."

Ken caught the curiosity in his group's eyes and beat them to the punch. "In case you're wondering, I could always help with Military R &D along with military liaisoning between Manticore and the local military instead of being in the main line of the negotiations. The military forces could compare info and intelligence on current events and other ideas. I could also put a request to have travel limitations to maybe NYC or Washington DC as a result considering all the planetary major powers have most of their foreign resources in those two cities. Heck I could make a lot of calls from here if need be."

"I see you gave this a lot of thought." A pinch of humor seasoned the gravity in the woman's voice.

"Well, I had all night and day to think about it." Ken sighed, his mind still going through all the possibilities of his career that he had built over decades. He then looked to the twins, the ones he wanted to protect, but also the ones he nearly drove to their deaths.

"One thing though. I was wondering if we should enlist the twins in counseling."

Joanna paused for a second and turned toward the foster sons.

"What do you think?"

Zack answered.

"Do we have to? Will we get in any trouble if we don't?"

Joanna and ken exchanged curious looks about Zack's second question. Ken shrugged.

Joanna was patient with the older brother.

"No, Zack no trouble at all. It's just that we think we might need someone else to help us solve whatever issues we might have."

Ken added his two cents about the situation.

"Whoever we get will be better trained than we are to figure out any solutions we might need. It's definitely worth a shot? So how about it?"

"Okay." The noise was from Cody not Zack. Zack looked at his brother and slowly agreed with him.

Low growls cut off the conversation. The romantically attached pair grinned as both boys blushed.

"Well it appears you're hungry, I'll go and start making dinner." Ken rose from the chair and turned to walk, only to stop in the doorway. "I almost forgot something." Ken dashed from view only to return second later with a small laundry basket in his hands.

"After we pulled you out of the alleyway last night, we were cleaning out the area when we found some things we thought meant something to you."

Ken picked up three items. One blue felt blanket, one red felt blanket and one brown teddy bear with one hole in its side. Its cotton fur seemed slightly darker than normal but was none worse for the wear.

"Blankie…"

"Teddy…Red…"

Twin pairs of green eyes shot to the ground as reality of their words reached their minds.

"After a running in the dryer downstairs and using an ancient hair dryer on the bears, they came out almost as good as new." The officer moved toward the bed and exchanged a blazing smile with Joanna. "I think you probably want these back now." Ken laid the intimate objects on the bed and turned around and Joanna followed him to the door. "I think I'll see what I can fix up. Something simple perhaps… "

The twins waited until they were out of sight then grabbed the gifts.

….

The worksheet looked like scrap paper. Eraser marks and scratch-outs completely covered it. A river system of wrinkles warped the arithmetic. Numbers and letters acting more like random ink marks than designed and printed figures.

A mat of blond hair rested on the wooden table. Two hands half-buried and disappeared into the mane as the orphan pencil rolled along, the teeth marks chiseled out of the yellow wooded instrument.

"It's too hard."

"Zack…." Ken paused as he listened to Zack's rebuttal.

They had been going for over an hour. First it was history (which Ken thought was slightly limited in its focus but an idea arose to compare the discovery of the "New World" to the Star Kingdom's), followed by science and its study of the ocean. Ken's eyebrows rose as Zack finished his music homework in no time. Modern Rock…

But they hit a wall with math. Specifically long division. It appeared as though the mass of numbers overwhelmed the boy.

Compassion and shared frustration powered Ken's eyes.

"Zack, you can't just give up like this," Ken touched Zack's elbow only for the boy to pull both arms under the table.

"Why? Because you said so?" The question was fused with anger and Ken thought anxiety buried deep within was finding its way out.

"Partly yes but also because you need to know this in order to get better."

"No I won't, I'll mess up even more. I always have."

Ken bit his lip as he thought of the exact words Zack used when describing himself. He wondered why he kept saying that about himself but realized there would be time for that later. His focus was how to fix this.

"No, you won't. I won't let you, not when I used to be just like you." Ken continued even while staring at Zack's lowered face. "You see Zack when I was a little older than you, I was like you. I had trouble in class, didn't think I could succeed in anything. For a while, my self-confidence was shot. But soon someone helped me, eventually we became friends. My teachers and others helped me get through. Eventually by a lot of hard work and focus, I graduated top of my class and arrived at the naval academy. And to make a very long story short, here I am now."

"So? You're in the military. What does that have to do with me?

"Like you, I had to start somewhere. It's hard, but I made it through. Like you can now." Doubts wrote themselves all over Zack's face at Ken's comment.

"It can be a first math problem or the first test. It may seem like more than you could ever do, but the first step is the most basic. It's the start of your knowledge, and before no time it will be easy. Don't give up, and you can be successful in anything."

Ken pulled his chair closer to the table and leaned into the middle.

"I am willing to help but you have to put the effort it too, I can only do so much." Ken hardened his voice but kept as close a conversational tone as possible. "That means I am not doing the work for you. It will succeed only if you want to. You quitting every time is not going to help, okay? I understand your frustrations. It can be very hard. But if we break it down step by step and see where you are having an issue, we can find a solution and fix it. "

"What if I fail or I don't want to do it?"

"I refuse to say it will be an instant success since for some things, certain ways may work, while others won't, and it all depends. But think of it as two choices in front of you: You can either stay on the path you are on now or maybe find a way to get better in school. Who knows you might find something in school you might like?"

"Not gonna happen."

"I said might okay?" The mood changed back to serious. "Are you up for it or not?"

…

"Are you two alright? You seem rather quiet."

Zack turned to Tom Connelly as he zipped his jacket to guard against the cool March wind.

"Yeah we're fine." Cody added his smile to Zack's response. Tom looked back to Max and Tapeworm only to see them shrug their shoulders.

"This wind is starting to get on my nerves." All four boys turned to Max as she tried to move her hair behind her ear but failed.

"That's it!" Max threw down her bag, zipped it open and took out a baseball cap.

In no time at all, wearing a grimace broken by her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth, Max twirled her hair into a bundle and shoved the hat on her head.

"What?" She asked of her male audience staring at her as he tugged the black cap further down on her head.

"Ahh nothing," Cody exclaimed with a sheepish expression.

Max pushed through the static foursome muttering something along the lines of "Boys…"

Tapeworm jumpstarted the convoy and followed his neighbor toward the shop down the block. A green-white twin-tailed siren beckoned them from the chilly afternoon.

Max opened the door as she paused briefly stared her tomboy reflection. Two quirk turns of her head in opposite directions and it was done.

The warmth of the coffee shop whipped her face in the doorway.

She looked around and stopped dead at the sight of certain figures sitting at a couple of the tables talking.

Squeaking sneakers warned her but before she could move, momentum almost forced her to the floor. With her natural grace, she turned on one foot, staring at the wall of pre-teen males beyond with Tapeworm's arms failing to prevent the collision. Their tense faces betraying them.

"Really guys! Do you want to get rid of me….Never mind." The targets watched as Maxine Montgomery marched off.

"Well she's having a bad day," Tapeworm said out loud without any inflection.

"Duh."

"Knock it off, Zack, it's not we have not had some bad days too." Cody's comment tried to stop Zack's attitude in its tracks.

"Even if she is, we can't exactly leave her by herself can we?" Tom reminded them.

"What are we, her savior?" Zack's scornful tone heated up the conversation.

"Guys!...Hello, Max…" Tom and Zack turned to Cody whose calm face hid his unease.

"Fiiiiine!" Zack raised and dropped his arms in exasperation and looked to find Max and found where she was while the rest of the guys exchanged looks of thanks and relief.

…

"You know I'm still recovering from that training regiment you put me through? I knew I had gotten in worse physical shape since I landed here. But Jeez, I never thought I would almost be dragging myself to bed."

"Meaning no disrespect sir but you're a naval officer. The navy trains you to fly around in space and blow stuff up, not try to run 10 miles and lift weights so you handle a whole of battle armor during live-fire training and combat. But it was only a training exercise you choose to join"

"I know and I was not bothered by what you said Gunny, I'm commenting at the showing I've made and any dishonor I've brought on the Navy for the effort."

"Speaking as a ground pounder's point of view, there are definitely some people who shall remain nameless, who brought dishonor upon themselves for more stupid and incompetent reasons and decisions than that. Got people killed too."

Ken heard the venom and swords clashing in the marine's words and understood the type of people Williams mentioned all too completely.

The chasm between the enlisted Marine and naval officer grew while the hum of conversation and the sliding of chairs churned around them. Both thought of the way the last sentence ended and wondered how they could go.

Ken's hand stopped its progress on Alexander's fur as contemplative ideas scurried in his head. A meter long tail flickering back and tail as deep green eyes stay sealed shut.

"Excuse me?"

Ken twisted his head, careful to not disturb the semi-quiescent creature in his lap.

"Max, what a surprise."

"Hey, I… I mean we were trying to escape from the wind."

"I sympathize." Ken smiled as he watched the girl's eyes swerve toward the olive-skinned, short chestnut haired woman. The marine's solid green blouse blended in with the chair's padding. Her space black tunic and dark green beret covered the wooden skeleton.

"Max, her name is Sergeant-Major Vanessa Williams, Manticoran Marines."

Ken continued as Max acknowledged the well-built Marine.

"You said we? Who's we?"

"Em…well." The girl's eyes moved in every direction but Ken's.

"She means us." Tom's voice broke through the noise, followed by Tapeworm and the twins

"I hoped that's what she meant…Everyone sit."

A barista arrived with a coffee and a tea as Ken saw an older twin's eyes stare at her. Ken asked he could give orders up with her. The woman thought for a second and decided it was okay.

"You kids order what you want."

"Well…." Hesitancy filled Tom's voice.

"Relax, I will pay for everything. I am not that cold. Besides as senior officer, I pay for it anyway as a courtesy."

The young bunette barista filled the position of a referee as Max and the boys shouted the orders.

"Excuse me! Ladies first" The boys cowed at Max's shout. Her diminutive stature with her black cap on the table and her tomboy just made the whole thing even more ridculous. The boys stayed silent until she finished then they each took turn giving their orders. The barista confirmed the orders and turned. Not before catching Zack's glance and smiling.

"You know Gunny… I wish we had only fewer of examples of bad choices or decisions."

"What do you mean?" Max's voice forced Ken to ruffle his hair and look at the Marine, who could only shrug.

"You see Max, both of us have seen a lot of bad choices be made by people. Some which caused negative consequences." Ken continued while he recognized the puzzled looks on the audience's faces. "These choices shows everything about you. Your good and bad side. Your true colors as it were."

"I know what you mean…." Ken's serene expression never wavered as Tom's words washed over him. The barista arrived with eagle's grace with their beverages and dashed with a flash. Zack failed to slyly hide his attention for the woman, including not so accidently touching her hand as she placed his drink in front of him.

"You mean like if you were lying or cheating on a test?" Zack's simple question struck Ken in between the eyes. Ken's attentiveness captured the student's eyes as they moved by degrees, following the retreating barista. Ken held back his reaction and answered.

"It's not exactly what I had in mind, but I suppose that is a good example to start with. In both cases, the choice is a matter of conscience."

How's that? I mean in the navy, you have to give out orders and figure out when to capture the bad guy or go into a fight. But it does not seem that complicated."

Ken's face morphed into a metallic smile but melted as Tapeworm swallowed. "Its not so simple as that. Sometimes the choices are not completely black and white." Ken paused as he sat back as he folded his hands on the Alexander's body on his lap. "Sometimes shades of gray are all that you see."Ken held in his reaction as looks of doubt faced him and brought the subject down to earth. "I'll use Manticore as an example with due to the fact I know it best. You see, why I come from, politics had an unfortunate impact on a things including the military. I'm not kidding either."

"He's right unfortunately, a few good officers have been limited in their actions due to things beyond their control. Certain political parties want the Star Kingdom to be isolated and only use the navy to protect the kingdom. Not be involved in some exploration that could expose us to areas or threats we have no control over. We cant be inexperienced when it comes to such things."

The last sentence perked up the young audience and Ken decided to restart where Gunny Williams left off. "I can still imagine the reaction when this planet was discovered. It was colorful and diverse. It started at wahoo and ended at what have we done." A snort brought a ring of smiles to the conversation.

"But back to what we talked about…choices. Unfortunately people's choices can be affected by their personality as well…."

"Hold on for a second, are saying like if I did not usually do my homework or study for a test or watch certain shows or listen to dance music reflects who I am?"

"Think about it… A person's choices influence what we think of them and sometimes how we relate to them." Williams' relaxed tone countered the finger tapping her cup as she stared through the only other female speaker of the mixed aged group.

Ken detected a question as the marine looked at him but only shrugged as he felt a weight on his right arm. He needed no movement to know what or who it was. The tickling whiskers gave it away but his attention refocused as the marine forwarded the conversation.

"This goes with careers as well…" The marine tried to continue but was cut off by Zack.

"You mean like a person like you who…" Zack mummified as his words reached his brain.

Complete bewilderment spread around the circle even inflicting its spell on Ken. The customers beyond the frozen chat mimed the same response when they stared at the indecipherable menu above the ordering station. The battle hardened warrior's poker face would have fooled a mind reader but her soft tone sliced through the stillness.

"I am willing to bet what you were trying to say it was something along the lines of a person with my stature would go into the Marines?"

Ken almost wanted to stop the conversation from where it was going. Then he realized it did have some benefits. He wondered if each of the kids held that exact opinion of the gunny in one form or another. After all they were kids with their prejudices and limited by their experiences of this one tiny speck of dust in the universe. All except for one.

Ken's thought processes broke down as irony hit him square in the face. Here he was questioning the prejudices of these children while his own experience of an interstellar career melded his life experiences in two star nations. He was one second away from degrading them from his so-called superior, more "modern" perch. Ken was not sure whether or not laugh or cry. But optical information interrupted as eyes dropped two after two until only Tom and Zack remained. Until the truth buried them.

"I admit my size does have advantages. But it was not the only choice out for me. But I accepted the challenge. However, I know for a fact even some marines are taking college courses on the side when we have spare time between training, missions and other responsibilities. So we do have opinions if we leave the Corps" The enlisted's smooth answer held back the sound of a hurricane beneath. Only breathing prevented an outsider from thinking he had been looking at wax figures.

"A view of a person is correct when the choices you see them make back it up." Ken's tone melted the children's figures and they sipped their drinks as he went on. "Just as choosing to cheat on a test or beat up a weaker child creates a bad impression, so does trying to do things the rest of us would think as wrong." His minor listeners face broke into perplexed expression. "Little things like trashing people's careers when they embarrass you. Heck I know of some people who would try anything to make sure everything goes their way." Shock poured onto the table from the kids' faces. A sad smile crept onto Ken's face. "Yes it does happen. We're not even perfect. Far from it."

"What about you? How do you deal with all this? Its sounds so hard, almost impossible to deal with? All this things you have to worry about?

Ken grinned in reaction to Cody's barrage of question. Hot tea warmed his throat as the gesture allowed him precious time to think.

"I have to deal with it. Its part of my job, whether I want to or not. That's a simple fact that comes with responsibility. Sometimes you have to deal with tough situations and people you rather not. But…" Ken hesitated only to shrug. "I choose this career and I have to deal with it. Or else quit completely.

"I was kidding Gunny. I am in too far already. A part of me would be left behind if I walked away." The priceless expression eroded from her face as he continued. "You see there are times in your life where your decisions to the choices put in front of you define you as a human being. Some you may run from, others you will have to face. You will wonder why you did them and what could have changed as you look at yourself in the mirror. Even if it is something like talking to your school crush."

A wink livened the mood as they watched customer mirages drifted in and out of his vision as they picked up their thirst-quenchers and their pick-me-ups.

"If only life were so easy…" Ken silently agreed with William's line.

"Yeah…making tough decisions on events in the backside of nowhere with no monarch, admiralty or superior officer to help figure things out was simple Just my mind, my beliefs and my duty to guide me, all alone in the abyss of space." Slight pressure on his arm transported Ken back to the fully conscious and pre-teen strange looks gaping at him.

"Sorry…I meant to say that some choices you make will cause you to look in the mirror. Its only natural. Sometimes choices could affect your lives even the careers or goals you to achieve. Sometimes, you will sacrifice things for something. Sometimes even your career will be lost."

Ken rose from the table, forcing Alexander to the floor and tossed into the trash can but turned around to face the crowded table.

"There are people who will refuse to take risks and take a chance, they will shrivel up and back down from their soul. They use everything in their grasp to make their lives easier. But there are people out willing to risk it all for everything for what they care for, whether it be country, belief or a goal. Sometimes I believe there are things worth losing, even your life over."

"Have you ever had to make a choice that has affected your career or lose your life?" Tom's voice paused Ken, who turned and smirked at the auburn- haired boy. A enigmatic smirk.

"It has come close on more than a few occasions but it remains to be seen so far," The space captain adjusted his jacket and waited until Alexander resumed his post on his shoulder.

"Now I really have to going. Good luck Gunny Williams" Ken received a respectful reply then turned his attention to two twins who had been quiet for the most part the entire time.

"Zack and Cody, you can stay for an hour but you must go home because you have a test in the morning."

Matching groans was his answer and Ken said his goodbyes and walked out.

…..

The two minds shifted silently. Autopilot was their preset.

They did not even realize their friends were leaving until their empty cups fell against the plastic trash bag. Polite responses followed by warm overtures for future meetings. The tomboy followed the bushy haired and auburn haired as the bell above the door signaled as the entranceway opened and shut.

Runaway thoughts of the yarn just finished fueled overactive immature imaginations. Visions of a sci-fi universe burned bright and true and slapped them across the face with its grays of morality. Their eyes dimmed at the possibility of the good being darkened to evil. By choice or force.

Their thoughts froze on their pathway as a voice tore them. A person who they knew could be filled with shades of gray. But her words bombed everything inside their minds.

"Well you two look much better than the last time I saw you?"

"What do you mean 'the last time'?"

Vanessa Williams paused for a second at the empty tone.

"The alleyway that night. The one we rescued you from those…creeps."

The heat froze too cold as Zack and Cody's stomachs quivered as nightmares scratched themselves back into cohesion, only desperate stabs to drive them back into the abyss of their darkest thoughts.

"Thanks for that. Ken mentioned you saved us. Without you….we would be…you know"

"Cody, right?"

He nodded in response.

"You and Zack must be really close and I must say it's almost impossible to tell you apart."

The gunny's smile was met with Cody skeletal one.

"Well we are twins. We've always had that issue ever since we were young." Cody reached over laid his hand over his brother.

Williams checked her chrono for the time and reached back to grab her black uniform tunic.

"I'm sorry to cut this short but I have to be on watch duty in an hour. But I'll escort you back"

The twins followed her lead, grabbing the remains of the drinks and walking to the door.

"You know you don't have, we're not babies."

The enlisted petty officer listened to Zack's prideful cynical tone calmly as the door closed behind them. The bell rang as the wind beat it back.

"You're absolutely right. I do not have to. But I will not allow two kids who the captain protects and lives with get hurt any more than they already have to."

The crowd parted for the threesome with the Marine acting the part of the bow crashing through the sea of humans.

"Why do you say he protects us? We may live with him but he does not protect us? I mean he sent you guys off to bring us home. He was just on the search teams."

Zack and Cody almost tripped themselves to prevent themselves to running into the uniformed wall which reversed itself. The cool wind hit her back as she looked at her inquisitor.

"Is that what you really think? That he wasn't even there? That he'd just let us do the dirty work? That he'd allow himself to walk away unharmed from that."

The Gunny's iron rapid-fire voice had them wondering she was talking to them or some recruits in boot camp.

The silent twin spoke up.

"Like a scar?"

The chestnut-haired woman looked at Cody. Red blotches on his cheeks edged his mouth being wetted by his tongue as she stared at him. A colossus staring at a mouse.

Her eyes regained their warmth and Williams sighed.

"Yes a scar on his arm." The battle-hardened marine touched he double breasted tunic, readjusting to form. The three golden lines and the connected chevrons on her sleeve depicting her rank formed to perfection.

"Your father…" She ignored the frowns on the boys' face at her usage of the word.

"…was VERY directly involved in making sure you two escaped from there. He was already there between you and those idiots. "

"You mean you would have stopped them before they hurt us right?"

Williams looked to see a trickle of fear in Zack's eyes as he left the question hanging.

"There is one thing I can be sure of… "Sergeant Major Vanessa William held her breath as she watched two boys grab onto every word.

"If it was not for Captain Myers that night, you would surely be dead right now."

**This would have been before now but I rewrote the café scene twice.**

**Anyway, Please read and review. Thanks to all the previous reviewers, you have been wonderful.**

**As always, if you have any questions, just PM me. I will always answer any questions you have, no matter about who, what or how they may be on the simplest topic.**

**Until next time….**


	22. Water Coming From All Sides

**Disclaimer: I do not own either the Suite Life or Honor Harrington Series. **

**Thanks to Darkelements10 for betaing this chapter**

"Look out!"

The screeching tires and the beaming lights froze their legs while the screaming horn stopped their hearts. Two boys, figures of stone, life drained as Death's hand touched the back of their necks.

The metal grill marched closer and closer. Their minds wondered how much pain they would be in as their bodies would be ground beef against the meat presser of a steel and chrome body frame.

But another life form rammed itself into their backs, whiplashing their necks. All three fell next to the curb as white crosswalk stripes flashed under them. The echoing horn rolled on by, lost in the hustle and bustle of the city.

…..

"Are you guys alright?"

Tapeworm's shaky left hand reached out toward three of his friends. Tom laid over Zack and Cody, his body covering theirs at an angle.

"Uh…" Zack starts to stir and raises his arms to lift himself up but is unable to move "Who's on top of me?" Zack's arm moved toward his back and touches some hair. "Cody?"

"He…ow…here." Zack turned to his left. His twin was on his side with his left hand holding himself up while his right hand covered his face. Red shined underneath his spread out fingers.

Zack closed his eyes and lowered his head to the ground as his fingernails dig into his palms.

"What's wrong?" Max's voice broke the boy's distraction.

"My head is pounding."

"Its probably of the impact when you were pushed out of the way."

Zack said nothing.

Tapeworm moved to Zack's side. The older twin's eyes remained closed. His slow breathing, the only evidence he was awake.

"Tape, is someone or something on me? I cant move…" Tapeworm started to answer but Max replied for him. Her voice held a trace of worry but slowly inflated with humor. Her eyes watched the last of the downed trio, who was slowly sitting up.

"I'll say… he's has auburn hair and grey eyes…"

"Tom!"

"What!" Zack's shout broke Tom's daze. An onlooker would have laughed at the dumbfounded expression as his head mimicked a bobble head with a bad spring.

"You are lying on Cody and me!"

A few seconds passed until the mouse inside Tom's head stumbled back onto its wheel and started running again.

"Oh crap, I'm sorry." Tom scurried off or in his case crawled and rolled off the twins.

Tom and Tapeworm helped Zack and Cody off the ground, ignoring the curious looks of passerby's. Tom moved Cody's hand to look at his face.

"It does not look so bad." Cody nodded as Tom continued to look him. "It looks like several scrapes and some gravel. How does it feel?" Tom dug his hands into his jacket pockets and froze for a second until he turned them inside out.

"It just stings…where did you get the tissues?" Cody asked about the paper sheets shoved into his hand. He started to wipe off the blood and debris off his face.

"I just got over a slight cold. I forgot about them." Tom tossed a pack to Tapeworm. The bushy haired boy absentmindedly caught the hankies, only his eyes stared at Zack's bloody hand.

"Here use these, your hand is like gushing." Zack grabbed the tissues and started to dab at the fresh and caked blood.

"Wicked scar, how did you get it?" The question drew Cody's silent attention, who listened as his brother hesitated.

You know…fell out of a tree and scratched it on a rock. I was bleeding for a while too. Almost had to get stitches for it." Zack did not see Cody's mouth twitching slightly as he said it

"Yeah, Zack is a monkey when it comes to trees. You almost had to drag him out of them." The other three laughed as Zack and Cody exchanged a silent look.

"I can see that…" Max's voice lightened the mood but she walked toward Zack. "How's your head?"

"Well, I'll live but I still feel a little shaken." Zack shrugged it off and continued to wipe his hand clean. The blood streaked turning his palm pink. Tom's shadow broken through his attention.

"Em…I'm sorry for shoving to the ground like that. I was not even thinking. I just reacted. I mean I…" Tom ruffled his hair as he stumbled through the words only to be interrupted by Zack.

"Don't worry about it" Zack casual tone confused Tom, generating a mirage of a smile from the older bother."Besides if you hadn't done it, both Cody and I would be pancakes right now." Tom looked stunned at Zack's humor. He almost fell over at Zack's next string.

"We might not even be able to be picked off the road with a spatula….Maybe a scraper would have worked." Zack started to walk, ignoring the wordless expressions on everybody's faces including Cody.

"C'mon we are wasting daylight here." His silent audience could only look at each other and follow him.

…..

"Emmm….This is good." The words barely escaped Zack's mouth before he filled it with the remains of the fish fingers and the French fries tittering in his arms.

"Where do you store it all?" Tapeworm's face was mix of amazement and pale nausea.

"But don't you remember about last year when we had that barbecue?" The only female looked back at her neighbor as cluelessness spelled itself out on his face.

"You ate an entire 8 pack of hotdogs by yourself with rolls and everything." The guys stopped and stared with looks of incredibility.

"I am serious it was so bad both his parents and mine had to ban Chris from the rest of the hotdogs or else they would have had none left. It was that or they would have to secretly cook them somewhere else."

The group moved through the scattered adults and kids as they walked down the street passing stores selling clothes, electronics and odd services.

"It eis suoffised to rain?" No response from Zack's gibberish. He cleared his throat of the mostly-eaten churro , the last of the trio of gastrointestinal disruption he consumed.

"I said is it supposed to rain? Because the sky just went black." Zack's pointed over his shoulder to the almost night black sky.

Cody's steady voice answered him. "I did not think it was supposed but…" A boom of thunder silenced the rest.

Sheets of rain blinded all visibility as the heavens opened up on the unhappy shoppers and tourists.

The sidewalks became a combination game of the one hundred yard dash and follow the leader as people tried to find any cover they could from the monsoon. Whether it was the food truck and building overhangs or the temporary protection of a tree, anything was fair game for the precious seconds needed to gain one's wits and build a plan.

"What the hell!" The wind roared in defiance of Zack's rile. All five found themselves huddled next to a convenience store's open door watching the waves of rain flooded the streets and the storm drains throwing up waste. The wind beat the kids' shrunken deformed bodies almost to the point of surrender.

"it wasn't even supposed to rain!" Cody's familiar voice brought Zack back to calm. Older brother concentrated hard to listen to younger brother.

"Its just a little rain, Zack." Zack's look made him recant. "Okay a lot of rain. All we have to do is wait it out. Our day maybe wasted but at least we may not get soaked."

Both looked up at a strange sound. Water was rushing towards them. The crest of the water reached out and tried to grab them. Everything behind this eruption of energy and reaction fractured into little pieces and smudged and bent into nothing. The fluid salvo flew over the concrete sidewalk, splashing the yellow painted edges, toward a gathering of children.

"Jerk!"

"Idiot!"

"That little…Does he not know to slow when driving a puddle? I mean really" Tom looked over to see Max silently cursing while staring at her wet pant legs and soaked shoes while Tapeworm survived with wet hair. Tom looked down to see himself completely dry.

"Hey Zack and Cody how did you make…" Tom turned around to see quite a sight.

Water dripped in rivers from the twins' clothes. Puddles surrounded their sneaker soles. Their hair was cemented to their skulls. Squishing sounds echoed with each twitch they made. Chihuahuas shook less than they did. Four saucer wide eyes stared back as they stared back at their friends as their drenched clothes started to compress their bodies.

"Dodon't ssssay anythiiinng."

"No wonder I was dry. You guys took the full blunt of it. Well thanks" Tom's dry tone answered Zack's plea.

"It does not matter now. What we are going to do? We can try going to a store but you know some stores may frown kids walking in groups or alone. Let alone soaking wet…"

"We better make it fast…" Tapeworm's planning to Max thought chain was cut off by a conversation.

"You know treecats abhor water…hold on for a second. Alexander stop that! No its nothing Adai, the furball is almost trying to dig himself inside my jacket to protect himself from the rain. I mean I have this umbrella…"

Ken turned around and spotted the five children and smiled slightly. His eyes moved and locked onto the two melting doppelgangers. His mouth dropped …

"Adai, I have to talk to later, something's come up." Ken hit a button on his wristcom and the earpiece in his ear and ran over to the kids. A treecat's curled against his neck with the tail completing the circle. The water flew off the umbrella as the Queen's officer closed it.

"What happened?"

Tom answered Ken's obvious question.

"Some jerk driver ran through a puddle. Everybody but me hit with Z and C getting the worse of it."

Ken opened his mouth for a split second then closed it with a blended stare of questioning and narrowed eyes. He turned away from Tom toward the dual souls.

"We don't know what to do. I mean…"

"I'll take care of it." Ken answered Tape's statement and reached for a wristcom. A combination later and his hand touched the tiny earbug in his ear.

"Joanna, hey babe, where are you?...Good I need you here as soon as possible. It has to do with the twins. There are alive and standing but they got caught in the storm. " Ken quickly looked around and squinted until he saw something.

"Yes you know that store chain with the bullseye on the front? Located at Hamilton Ave? Yes that one! Meet us there. Oh, make sure you bring the kids clothing sizes on you? I don't see them perfectly. See in a hyperjump."

Ken killed the connection and turned back to the twins.

"Come on, let's move. The faster we get there, the faster we get out of those clothes. But first… " Ken moved toward the twins, who froze.

"…We have to get these jackets off." When his foster sons refused to move, Ken looked them in the eyes, equal parts compassion and steadfastness.

"Listen to me okay? You cannot continue wearing these wet clothes. They will make you get sick." Ken saw nervousness even fear in both pairs of eyes. He ignored the passing crowds with their murmurs of conversations.

"At least take the jackets off? Alright?" Ken waited for hands to start lowering jacket zippers.

"You can use ours, Ken." The treecat adoptee turned to see Tom and Tapeworm with their own jackets outstretched. Ken's unsure glance made them confirm their intentions.

"They can have them besides they need them than we do right now." Tapeworm matched his friend's certainty.

"Thanks. I'll remember this." Alexander's claws regripped themselves as the adult turned toward his charges.

"Damn, you're soaked through and through. This is worse than I thought." The twin's shirts stuck to them like a second skin and Ken handed over the coats to hopefully decrease the shivering and attempted to wring out the water from saturated cotton jackets.

He thought about his language but realize their health was important than some half-hearted lecture. That could be saved for later.

"Let's go, Joanna will be meeting us. You guys can come too. No point in leaving you behind." All five kids gathered Ken as he moved through the crowd. The boyfriend's and a treecat's eyes sweeping the masses for danger. Their surveillance easier with the rain stopping to almost nothing.

"How using a taxi?" Max asked the question only to see Ken answer quickly.

That was my idea, Max. Two problems with that. One is that there are too many of us to fit in one taxi and how do I choose who should beyond the twins and myself? Secondly I pretty sure taxi drivers will not allow completely soaked kids into their taxi. At least not without a sizable tip. Besides we are only a couple of blocks away from the store.

Ken continued as Max opened her mouth as the girl tried to keep with his pace. Ken gave a split glance around him for a kid head count and kept one hand on each of the jackets the twins were wearing.

"As for using public buses, the last one for this area was supposed to arrive a couple of minutes ago and I am not waiting any longer with two water logged kids. So we can go on foot. Besides there's advantage. They should get a little warmer than they are now."

…..

"Well we are here." Ken turned toward the train of kids on his ankles as they ran through the automatic doors and moved to the side of the walkway to avoid clogging up the entranceway.

"IIII don't ssseee her"

Ken laid his hand on Cody's head and unleashed his warmest smile as he waited for that familiar sound. It was an almost instinctual connection to a certain woman.

"You have nothing to worry about. There's not a single thing she would allow to get In her way to get here. Trust me on this…I know." Cody's neck moved stiffly to match eyes with his twin, who bit his lip to stop his lips from moving.

Ken concealed his worry from them but he knew he could not hide it from everyone. Alexander rubbed his head against the foster father's cheek. A hand involuntarily stroked his fur while the suspicious and curious employee and customer eyes. The naval officer's eyes searched the store's map…

"My goodness you looked soaked! Wait, where did you get these coats from?" The high pitched voice threw Ken for a loop until he turned and looked the twins up and down their soggy forms.

Ken swiped at his mental cobwebs and walked toward the new arrivals. He spotted with not-so professional detachment as Joanna's personal armswoman Alice Powe stayed at her shoulder while Ronald Cummings was a few feet and on her opposite side searching nearby. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ken spotted the forms of 4 other armsmen including Scott, Karl and Ashanti. All stared at the products or the store layout while their eyes kept shifting.

Tom blushed slightly as Joanna spoke to him only for the woman to turn around.

"I am already ahead of you. We split the essentials between us so we finish faster."

"Deal…" Ken stared over her shoulder toward Powe and a contrite expression immersed his face. No words exchanged but Powe's job would not permit a complication akin to an unscheduled romp in a metropolitan city with no warning to visibly affect her.

"Let's go." The two words blew up her boyfriend daze.

"Okay, first I have a favor and second I need to talk to Zack and Cody for second." The princess understood and turned to the leftover kids to talk to them, while Ken motioned for the brothers to follow him.

…..

It was so cold. The toilet seat. The metal stall walls. The air around him. Everything. That is except for the only source of heat near him.

His twin brother.

The chill invading his nerves receded slightly by the flash of warmth brought by memories.

Embarrassment and shock.

He could not believe what Ken had suggested. The man had surely grown 3 heads! But he hadn't. He was so serious, so calm and…. His brown eyes shimmered as he crouched to their height talking about something so unnerving or private. A freakin' normal tone too as if it was about the weather.

He remembered the onlookers with their shopping carts, kids and bags then and saw his twin's face go red and felt the same. But Ken lowered his voice, to a whisper and subtly placed a hand on his chin and flared his fingers blocking his mouth. It still moved, trying to explain what he wanted them to do.

"Zack?"

The older brother looked at his younger sibling. Cody was sitting on his lap. His head turned sideways, digging holes into the other's face. Love and worry colored those irises. Zack pulled at the bathrobe's hems, tightening them around his twin's body and adjusting his own. Their bare skin protected meekly from the chill of the semi-sanitized environment, clad only in their boxers.

The remains of their modesty lay on the floor under and around them as their feet swayed in the air. Jumbled in a rush, fallen with a whoosh on the floor. Green mixed In with the wet blues, reds and grays as the pile covered the floor from the bottom of the toilet to the door.

"Are you alright?"

A mountain troll appeared on the other side of the door but Karl was completely familiar to both of them. His heaver footsteps foretold his arrival with the towels and the bathrobes and Zack stared at the out stretched bag and his eyes staring at the bathroom entranceway as Zack retrieved the bag and closed the door.

"I think so. Its just a little cold in here." Two arms grabbed Cody around the middle and gently pulled him back a few inches and enveloped them in a jacket. Their upper bodies disappearing in shadows.

…

The door creaked and white floor dragging plastic bags appeared along with Ken.

"I'm sorry. Any faster and I would either killed someone or set a new speed record. So here we are, a complete set of new clothes for both of you including socks and…undergarments" Ken pushed the bags under the stall door and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

Rustling bags and light bangs echoed off the bathroom walls but a question broke through.

"Ken, can I ask about something?" Ken jolted himself from his silent examination as Cody's question washed over him.

"Always." Alexander's limbs moved as he adjusted his body as Ken turned around slowly with the quick, dry answer.

Instead a quick return, all Ken heard was low strained words, bordering on anger and crunching sounds Shadows of untold dimension expanded to him as clothes were kicked and package and price tags tossed to the ground. Absurdity overtook the whole spectacle for a second as the two of them, no matter close, tried to do what they were doing. Rigidity wrapped itself around the atmosphere as the adults' thoughts about the ridiculousness of the situation and what any outsider or may heaven help them store employee might think.

"Well…" Another delay instigated either by clothing or internal uncertainty slowed the speaker down but soon Cody's question came.

"Is it true you saved us?...From the alleyway I mean?"

Silence matured into nothing while the question waited for an answer. What was given was another question.

"So where did you hear that from?" The counter query was calm as the speaker look into the sink below.

"From that Marine we sat with the café…her name was Gunny, I think. She told us without you, we would have died there. Is it true?" The overriding need for the answer filled the room.

"So Gunnery Sergeant Vanessa Williams talked to you after I left did she?" Ken eliminated the need for his question to answered but his manner screamed something other than normal.

"Well, that's her prerogative and it's completely understandable considering everything. Of course she has been in the navy longer than I have been alive. I'm have no reason to be upset with her and why should I be? Or at you for that matter? You wanting to know what went on that night is only accepted behavior." Life breathed into Ken's tone with the last two sentences. Then a four clawed paw landed on the crown of his head and he stopped delaying.

"Yes, I suppose I did save both your lives. I had help. Lots of it as a matter of fact. I'm not invincible, I admit right now."

Dead silence killed everything. Breathing, movements, even time . Until a door latch ripped the suffocating silence to pieces.

Ken turned around and stared at the pair in dry clothes. Both clad in jeans and new sneakers but Cody wore a deep blue Boston Red Sox hooded sweatshirt while Zack's was red. Zack wore his best poker face while Cody was pure confusion. His left eyebrow had risen slightly while his mouth created a gap between his teeth. Ken swallowed a laugh and cleared his throat and Cody's face was reset to standard.

Messing with the deep blue drawstring with his eyes staring down, Cody's plain question was asked.

"Why did you not tell us?"

Ken looked away from the boys and back to the mirror, his eyes remained the mirror images of the boys.

"Something happened that night. It was not your fault, it was mine. I still completely regret happened before that night and what happened then." His hands griped the sinks and squeezed but the white porcelain refused to bend to his will. The spell on his eyes broke and he watched the water dripping from the faucet until Ken faced his four foot tall interrogators.

"When I first saw you in the alleyway, you were…so small. Almost doll-like. But so damaged, so silent. I honestly thought I was going to lose you…" Ken swallowed and steadied himself as he missed the hand on arm and brief eye to eye contact between the twins. The low humming of the hidden ceiling fan moved the still air around the bathroom habitants.

"When the prospect became all too real to me, I changed. To me, those gangsters lowered themselves into being something else. An evil, a part of me felt had to be destroyed no matter the cost. That was my problem, to destroy something you believe to be so evil without becoming evil itself. "

Ken paused as he looked between the two armsmen standing by the wall and the two boys in front of him. His crystal ball brown eyes stared into the unknown as the twins waited on him. Then the man bite his lip and quietly continued, his words barely audible but heavy with emotion. Alexander's tail wrapped itself around Ken's while its deep green eyes watched the twins and his form transformed into a huddle of fur.

"Sometimes during certain situations in life, you have thoughts or become something you regret. That's why I did not tell you everything about what happened that night. I was still coming to terms with myself of what I turned into that night during those moments." Zack's stare lowered dropped to the ground for a few seconds until they darted upward as Ken started to speak.

"A person bridging on being a vigilante, a person fighting by his own set of rules, barely caring or not even caring what others thought."

"Liiike the Dark Knight, Batman?" Zack's words turned all eyes toward him.

"Excuse me?" The officer's held a twisted arrangement until he saw the change in color in Zack's lips. "Zack! You're shivering."

The older brother shook his head but his body betrayed him as his chin vibrated and his teeth started to chatter while his hands buried themselves in the hoodie's front pockets. Ken looked up and saw Zack had moved under the swirling ceiling fan. Ken almost ripped his own coat and walked toward the boy, who backed up.

"Its just a jacket, Zack. Please put it on. You're recovering from the rain." Zack refused to move toward the jacket and its waiting warmth.

"We did what you said for us to do while we waited. Zack was holding me the whole time, trying to keep me warm." Cody's input brought a smile to Ken's features.

"So noble, so loving. None of us here want you to get sick from this, okay? Please put it on and warm up."

Zack stared at the jacket until he slowly slid forward. Ken opened the jacket and ignored Zack's silent stares as the jacket wrapped around Zack's shaking body. Ken zipped the coat and rolled the arms up until Zack's hands reappeared from the darkness. The jacket still almost inhaled Zack with the adult size on his small child size body.

"Better?...Good." Ken grinned at Zack's positive response while Alexander continued to stare at the older twin.

Zack hesitated as Ken's hands laid on his upper arms as he talked.

"I hope so since its not from this planet. That's double layered and its has so-called "smart" fibers that will adjust to the outside environment. Its flexible when it comes to the weather, so by the time they adjust, it will feel like you are wearing another hoodie on top of the Red Sox one. "

The smile lessened until confusion stared at Zack.

"Who is this bat guy you were talking?"

"Its Batman. He's a comic book character whose symbol is a bat…" Cody tried to go on but Zack interrupted him.

"Yeah. He kicks some…"Zack caught the mini glare on Ken's face…" butt in a black costume with cape that makes him almost disappear at night. But sometimes he has to break the law to make sure the bad guys get caught. Even to the point of almost killing them." The phrase stunned Ken for the boy's bluntness with a topic.

"Why would like or read such a character?" Zack's started to fidget after hearing Ken's question.

"Because his parents were killed when he was a child." Ken could see even Scott and Karl's facial expression changed with the reveal. Their usual stoicism chipped by their boy's admission.

"I see. I understand. But I want to see some of these comics before you read anymore to get a look at the content. That does not mean you cant read these comics and regular books. Besides if it gets you to read, all the power for it. Just make sure it does not get in the way of school stuff first.

"I hope I never I have to go that extreme of killing. Not without the very best of reasons. Like the two of you.…"

But you saved us from dying….That's all that matters." Zack's words started to water Ken's eyes.

I suppose it does. I suppose it does." A warm and gentle rested on the twins' shoulders. "As for all of us, I think its wise for us to start on a clean slate. Joanna and I have already paid for any damages at the hotel. Please try to limit them from now on. Let's go before they think we switching minds or something." A pair of tilted heads pushed Ken forward. "Yes I know bad joke, but hey I am a beginner at this sorts of things. Oh, don't forget our stuff."

The boys rushed back to the stall and threw everything into the bags except for the titan-sized jacket which Zack thanked and gave back to Karl and the whole group walked out, receiving odd glances from the people walking in.

…..

"I wondered what happened to you." Ken looked up to see Joanna smiling. His peripheral vision recognized the other kids waiting in a group behind her.

"Well, they had some difficulties changing into the new clothes. " Ken pointed toward the twins walking just behind him. Joanna's smile turned inquisitive as she stared at Zack.

"And why is he wearing your jacket?" Ken turned to see his jacket fall down halfway to Zack's knees.

"He was still cold from earlier. It's not like I could let him freeze, now could I?" Ken's keen stare shocked Joanna. Her eyes matched Ken's in earnest.

"I would hope not, for everyone's sake." The response relaxed Ken, who walked past her, only to stop to caress her cheek. The waves of customers and stores employee broke around them. Ken looked through the glass doors and his shoulder slumped themselves and his vision adjusted to his taller lover. He opened his mouth but she said it first.

"Yes the rain…I have already called for a car. I do NOT want to go THIS again." Ken latched onto a spare shopping cart to hold himself up as Ken laughed.

"Wholeheartedly. Besides we I do not think we have anything that would help Max out quite yet. And I say this much…I don't think I would be much help with girls clothes." Ken fidgeted while Joanna shook her head in fake disgust.

"They call you a modern man especially with who you were friends with during school. I would have thought it would rubbed off on you."

Ken leaned in and lowered his voice.

"She may have been my best friend but female fashion was not exactly at the top of my worry list. No matter how hard she tried, however unintentional."

The pair turned toward the preteens sharing a moment.

"Seriously, Zack! Its looks like a bad zippable dress, I swear. Granted the color's off but hey its works." Max's glittering expression did not changed one bit with Zack's laser-sighted glare. Max just raised an eyebrow as Max and Tapeworm tried to feebly stifle their laughter. Zack's kaleidoscope face kept changing until he gave up and turned away, his mouth twitching and inaudible sounds leaking from his mouth.

Max turned to see Ken and Joanna watching the whole thing and grimaced. The brown haired girl bit her lip and walked over to her mumbling friend, pulling him aside. Ken noticed something but waited until the twosome returned from their conversation.

"Max?" the question attracted the girl's attention. Nervousness crossed her features as she waited for it to continue.

"Those are not the same pants you wore when you came in here, right?"

Max's face collapsed in absolute confusion by Ken's question from out of nowhere. She and the rest of the kids became fallen and shattered sculptures, trying to find all the pieces in the current situation.

"Huh…What did you say? I thought you were going to talk to me about my argument with Zack?" Max's finger swiveled between herself and Zack as she asked Ken.

Ken looked over the crowd as he answered with bewilderment.

"What?...Nonono…." Ken almost laughed but he stopped. He regained his composure but a half-smirk still transfixed itself on his. "You handled it fine. Don't worry about it." Joanna's odd expression confused Ken but before he say anything, Joanna looked at Max and back at her boyfriend.

"I thought you said you had no interest in fashion?" Ken detected the humorous interrogative tone as the woman closed the distance between them.

"Its not fashion sense, its observation. Considering she walked with pants halfway soaked and they are dry. There's a difference."

"I think its kind of odd he mentioned it or noticed it for that matter." Max folded her arms across her chest and stared warily directly at Ken, who tried to avoid the gaze.

He was saved by Joanna. "I brought the jeans for her. I figured since the twins had a new set why can't she have a new pair of pants. I was being considerate." The princess turned to Max.

"He did not mean anything by it Max. He noticed something was off and he brought attention to it. Not uncommon but sometimes it lead to unusual situations. Besides…" Joanna turned back to Ken

"Your unexpected social awkwardness or bluntness does lead to some entertainment. Whether for you or me, well…" Joanna shrugged. "To be honest, there are times I need it." The black-haired woman recognized a signal from one of the armsmen.

"Well it appears our ride is here. Let's go back to the hotel, hot chocolate is on us." The chorus was unanimous as the cavalcade through the automatic doors.

…

The cavalcade fought through the crowd to escape from the grasp of the monsoon outside. The entire group moved and stopped to bask in the heat of the hotel.

Zack's eyes followed the group as they weaved through the masses entering and exiting. But an urge made him stop and yelled for Ken.

"I'm going to get some candy, okay?" Ken looked down at the boy then around the lobby and spotted the candy counter.

"Do you have any allowance money on you?" The boy checked his pockets and nodded.

"Just one okay? I don't want you bouncing off the suite's wall. See you upstairs." Ken looked toward one of the security contingent and moved his head toward Zack and the armsmen's bland expression tightened even more.

"Here's your jacket's, I'm not cold anymore." Ken pivoted and grabbed the coat and walked toward the elevator.

Zack watched him go and looked toward the armsman behind him, Karl Velazquez.

"You're going to watch me to make sure I stay out of trouble, aren't you?" Nothing from the silent watchman.

"Ah, the strong silent type." Zack grinned at his own joke but just walked toward the candy counter, dodging handbags, suitcases, and couples. The vase stood still in his protective stand when Zack froze as blond hair swirled around the counter. To others it would seem as though Zack's body paralyzed from the sight in front of him.

It was Maddie. The girl who he barely talked to since he had yelled at her. Life and pain echoed after they both wondered and talked about brothers.

Zack walked forward until his hands touched the soft wood of the counter. His fingertips grazing the glass tip jar. Zack swallowed as he stared at the blond hotel employee.

"Hi, Maddie, can I have a chocolate bar?"

A plain hand grabbed the dark covered confection while another grabbed a box of sugar free candy. Eyes widened as Maddie's vision recognized him. An instant pause barely noticeable by anyone but Zack. The candy box moved in her arm as she approached the counter and her customer.

"Here you go, Zack, the king sized will $2.00." Maddie's dim smile matched her eyes as her mechanical movements reached out for the money.

"That's expensive, why don't you just come from behind, slid your hand into my pocket and take it without me knowing? I'm just a poor kid, you know." The humor twitched Maddie's lips but hit a wall before touching her eyes.

Zack dived into Maddie's eyes as he grabbed the chocolate. A moment in time crystallized as Zack's hand contacted the teenager's fingers. But the moment melted with Maddie's words.

"Here you go, have a nice day." The words caved in Zack's shoulders as he turned away. Karl's solid form filled his vision even though the guard moved a few feet from the rotating doors. His chestnut brown hair blended in with his face as Zack saw the hazel eyes stare directly at him and Maddie. His face was less than stoic but full of concentration with the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Maddie…I'm sorry."

Zack's sunken form covered the front of the counter. Maddie could see his left hand tightening around the chocolate bar. Her right robotically grabbed the closed sign and placed onto the countertop.

"I'm sorry… for yelling at you that time when I met you in our suite." The apologetic boy gazed at the most interesting spot of the carpet and did not move. The carpet surrendered to soft foot falls.

"Zack, look at me…please"

The boy's head needed to be pulled up with puppet strings in order for his eyes to see Maddie. Her conflicted face level with his own as she almost crouched down to him. The bluish-green eyes shimmered for an infinite second.

"No Zack, I am the one who should be sorry. I never should have acted so cold to you." Zack's face remained impassive. The two ignored the people walking through the lobby including the bellhop, Moseby and one almost invisible security member.

"I could not believe you could have so much anger and pain…." Maddie could see Zack was trying to pull away from her. She moved closer to him, her faint perfume covering him while she lowered her voice to a whisper.

"But Ken mentioned your brother…" Zack's head spun back to face Maddie's "…and it made me wonder how I would feel in such a situation. Between what I felt at the time and later when I realized how lucky I was to have my brother around, I felt so torn and guilty." Maddie's hands held onto Zack's arms as she spoke.

"I decided not to speak to you because of it. Now I know its wrong to hurt you more than I already have. Its not your fault for what happened…" The blond pulled to see her counterpart's eyes lowered again.

"You have every right not to forgive but I hope you do."

"Why should I?" The three words speared Maddie in her tracks. Anger tinged the simple question. Maddie searched the area around her but found no one paying attention to them except for one man. Karl. Zack followed the girl as she moved to sit down on a small folding chair behind the counter, their eyes level with each other.

"I want you to forgive me because I want us to become friends. I realize the choice is yours because I messed up badly."

Zack stared at the smashed candy in his hand `as it turned over in his hand as an indecipherable mask covered his face. The counter's darkness enveloped everything but his head and shoulders. Maddie's breathing almost stopped as Zack now looked at her and then away. The caramel candy filling his vision. Until he looked up, the sands of the hourglass stopped falling….

"Maddie its okay, I forgive you. It was both of us." Zack's face shinned the thinnest of smiles. "I would like to be friends if you would let me."

Maddie jumped up out of the chair and rushed over. Zack's turned opposite as his hands slowly came up as Maddie came closer. He started to back up but the flaxen lass was too much for him. Two arms gently braced Zack's back as his head found itself in her chest. Zack's rigid body remained memorized by the warmth of the opposite gender. Then suddenly the heat was gone and the pressure disappeared.

Zack staggered back, his unsteady hand grabbed the counter's edge. He looked up to see Maddie's blazing smile.

"Here…let me replace that bar for you. It looks like a little smashed to me." Maddie lifted the confection from the boy's hold and a new one appeared almost instantaneously in its place. Zack looked at it and shoved it into his hoodie's front pocket. Zack thanked her as he turned around.

"You know, I tend to be a good listener so if you or your brother need to talk, you know where to find me."

Zack paused at the words and looked up to see Karl's concurring expression. The armsman stirred slightly at Zack's heated cheeks.

"Okay…Maddie?" The girl held the busted candy in one hand and the closed sign on the other. "Did anyone tell how pretty you look? The inquisitor quickly walked away, leaving a paralyzed candy counter employee in his wake.

….

Scratches could be heard in the suite. It was Yellow number two pencil on white lined paper. Educational bliss and anguish surrounded the twins as they sat at the kitchen table, Zack sighed at his workload. The windows opened and warm air streamed in contrary to the cold and rain from two days earlier.

Alexander laid down at the other end, studying this odd act of human attainment but his ears perked at movement in the master bedroom.

"Where is that report? It was just here." The sound of things being thrown and hitting the ground concussed the room and annoyance crossed Cody's face.

But a knock on the door changed everything. Everyone snubbed it, going about their business. Until it started again.

"Someone get that for me, please?"

"Got it" Cody answered Ken's request. The words revealed no negative emotions. Just normal. Far from what was the previous situation only days earlier. Cody turned the handle on the door and opened it.

The familiar color scheme of green and black stared back at him. A Marine. A tall marine and a woman to boot.

"Hello?"Cody edgy question received one in return. Its tone was official, barely touched by human warmth. If only by basic social necessity.

"Excuse me young man… Is Captain Ken Mitchell here right now? I need to talk to him." The Marine's globes never wavered from Cody, ignoring the equally attentive stares from the two plain clothes armsmen flanking the door.

A moment for Cody as he thought about the question until the uniform colors brought a odd sense of comfort. "Sure, he's inside. Come on in."

The Marine walked behind the boy giving a scarce look around the room, catching the eye of the other minor occupant. An intrigued look crossed her face as her eyes checked both children and the treecat.

"Ken…someone's here to see you. And she's a Marine too."

"I'll be out in a second." Ken's muffled voice reached them and Cody saw the Marine's eyes dart toward the master bedroom door.

Ken in civilian clothing walked out into the room. His sight scanned the room and recognized the Marine's uniform by second nature.

Alexander's head shot up and his ears pointed to the sky as he moved toward Ken. The Queen's officer recognized the unit designation shoulder on the Marine officer. How could any officer not? It was an outline of a balance scale, both pans level with each other. A sign of justice….

"Captain Ken Mitchell, I presume sir?" The question received the briefest of nods. Ken's face held an almost unreadable expression. But the best one could read from it was one of resignation, maybe relief or calmness. But that could argued with. Ken never moved even as Alexander clawed his way up his back to his perch on his left shoulder.

"My name is Colonel Carla Singleward. I am with the Judge Advocate General's office. I am investigating an incident from about a week ago. Some injuries and one death were reported. Captain we need to talk."

** .Surprise This was done for a while but due to the rewrite for Chapter 21, I could not post it.**

**Well another chapter that got away from me length wise. But it worked out pretty good. Please read and review. **

**Until Next time…**


	23. JAG Choice Confessional

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life Tv series or the Honor Harrington book series. I would like to thank sol invictus for betaing this.**

"JAG and NCIS have started a joint investigation into the event, Captain." Ken Mitchell stared into Carla Singlewald's face, the Judge Advocate General's Representative. The chairs the pair sat on felt like air as the professional words continued to roll over him. The twins sitting at the kitchen table watching it all unfold after getting water for the Colonel. Alexander's head in the nape of Ken's neck. "I'm here to ask what you did during the event in question."

"Of course, I understand. Go right ahead." Ken's even-keeled voice never moved the investigator. "But if I am not out of line, how did all this get started?"

A shift of an eyebrow was all that changed on the woman's face until the suite door opened. All heads turned to see Joanna walk in with Alice Powe on her heels. The Marine Colonel was on her feet in a flash. The royal switched between the twins, Ken, and finally the unknown Marine. The soldier's eyes widened then narrowed just as fast as her hands pulled down on her uniform jacket.

"What's going here?" Ken quickly responded with a drained voice.

"This is Colonel Singlewald from JAG, she's investigating an…incident that happened last week." Joanna's face retained its calmness as the reference struck home.

"Of course, I understand. I apologize for the interruption, Colonel. Please continue."

"Thank you… ma'am." Singleward sat back down, her face on Ken but her eyes darted toward Joanna as the woman sat a few feet away at the table with the twins. After a quick sip of from her water glass, the legal officer rebooted. "Captain Mitchell, the reason I am here is because of a report filed by the Marine Corps. It specified some marines were involved in an altercation during a search effort. Although there were no serious injuries on the Marines' parts, local police reports remarked about a death and several injuries. Those injuries resulted from the actions of the Marines in the fight according to some of the victims."

Singleward paused, noticing a pair of twins' spines go ramrod straight in their seats. "NCIS was called in to investigate the situation. After some hesitation on the Marines' part and some deeper searching, Captain, your name came to the forefront. Care to explain that?" Ken's breathing stirred only for a second and only to do one thing.

"Zack…Cody, would you go to your room for a little while? Please?" The question drew instant facial revolts from the boys but stopped at that. The pair left the table but not before they stared at Ken and Singlewald before closing the door to their room.

Ken turned back from the closed door and stared back at Singlewald, whose mouth twitched.

"I have to be honest with you, Captain. NCIS and I have our suspicions about what happened. Especially with the witness statements." Ken dared to move his head to allow his eyes to pivot to see Joanna. Her hands were folded but he detected a hidden tension in her shoulders, but Carla's words stole his focus back.

"You see, Captain, the people the Marines injured mentioned the most was not a Marine. In fact, it was a man who they ran into and tried to get to rid of." Alexander moved to Ken's lap as she rolled on. "They would have, too, if it were not for the Marines. "

Singlewald untangled herself and walked over the curtained windows next to the wall hanging flat-screen tv. Eyes staring out at a bustling city as the afternoon sun beamed its light into the living room. Until she turned around, the shining gleaming off her service dress uniform created an otherworldly appearance which was smashed by the coming conversation.

"The one major thing, besides the fact, they had no idea of the hand to hand combat capabilities of the Manticorean personnel involved was an odd detail. A very unique detail…"

"What would that be Colonel?" Joanna's question turned the inquisitor's attention to the other woman.

"A Sphinxian treecat." The answer chilled the room instantly but Joanna gave no notice. "Granted, I admit we had issues receiving this detail because the crippling nature of the gang leader's injuries forced him to use a dry erase marker and board to respond to our questions. But he was emphatic about it."

The Marine turned on a dime to Ken, her eyes narrowed to slits as the words ran from her mouth. "Captain, I've checked the Sphinxian Forest Service records to be sure, but you are the only individual currently on this planet that has been adopted by a treecat. The only one, and I know for sure that treecats are very protective of their adopted partners.

"In the end, your treecat slaughtered a man while you yourself crippled a man to an extent, it will be extremely painful for even our technology to help him regain his normal life." Ken's knuckles whitened at her comments.

Joanna and Singlewald waited for input from Ken only to be denied.

"The admiralty will look into this with everything they have considering the circumstances surrounding it. A Queen's officer almost killing a man is not something that can be just pushed under the rug."

A painful stillness filled the room as Alexander's claws dug into Ken's thankfully padded clothing.

"You can't!" All the adults turned to an opened door with a boy standing there. Widened eyes dug into a pale face as his arms stapled to his sides, but his hands were clenched.

"You just can't! It's not his fault!" Red patches bled through the pale guard as he moved into the light beams on the plush carpet.

"Cody…I said for you and your brother to stay in your room." Ken's words collapsed under this human wave of emotion.

"I don't care. You shouldn't be punished for something we did." Confusion oozed onto Singlewald's face as she stared at this interruption, her eyes barely seeing the other boy…Zack, standing behind him wearing an unknown expression.

"What do you mean by what you did?" Everyone stared at the speaker and almost forgot the boy tornado still in the room. Carla's even voice repeated the question. "What did you mean by that?

Cody's eyes cleared the mist from his vision and looked around. Joanna gracefully moved toward him, her seamless face under control, but her eyes worried him. Their usual warmth was haunted by something else. Ken's determined face was broken with a slight twitch from the corner of his mouth as Alexander continued to stare into him.

His eyes zeroed in on the Marine uniform. The one he thought he knew he could trust. Now he was not sure. So many decorations but now she is a cause of destruction of the setting foundation in his life. Her stature nailed him to the floor while her pupils mesmerized him.

"It was our fault. We ran away…" Cody stopped to breathe and felt warmth on his arm. By a visual process of elimination, he knew it was Zack. The contact steadied him. "We ran away after there was an argument and Ken came after us. We would have died if he didn't. He was just trying to protect us and keep us alive. I mean, what was he supposed to do? Let us die?"

The question hung in the air for an eternity as Singlewald sorted her thoughts.

"I see…Did you know the extent of what he had to do to accomplish that? He almost killed a man and his treecat did kill one. Quite colorfully, too."

"Not completely no…but we would not be standing here if it were not for him. We would be…dead." Cody broke at the last word, forcing himself to look at the floor. He missed the slowly aging look on Ken's face and Joanna's musing as the JAG officer did not move an inch.

"Thank you for that. It seems as though we have some things to look at." The Marine's gaze watched Joanna for an instant but then was gone as her black boots walked toward the door.

"Hang on for a second!" The shout was not from Cody but from the silent one, Zack. He looked at his diminished twin and stared directly into Singlewald.

"Will what happened to us change anything?" The groundpounder looked at the child, her spine straight and her uniform immaculate.

"That remains to be seen, young man. But we will be thorough with our efforts. You will hear back from us. Good day."

….

The light footsteps did not make a tremor in the mind. The silence swallowed him up. Noise negated by the stream of thoughts, ideas and fears pushing their way to the forefront of his brain. But one voice did punch its way through the noise until his concentration locked onto it like a laser-guided missile.

"What's going on with you?" Ken looked up to see his girlfriend's face carrying a perplexed look. "This is not like you at all. I mean, you did not say anything at all. No defense whatsoever."

"What would have me do, beg? We have to let the investigation do its job." Joanna recoiled at the sunken tone.

"No...it's just not like you to simply give up or surrender. Or should I say any Queen's officer." Her last words twitched the boyfriend. Ken strolled to a chair and sat down with a grimace. Alexander settled down to lie on the chair's back.

Joanna sighed as she moved a loose strand of hair from in front of her face. The royal walked to a chair and sat down opposite Ken, her eyes skipped over the closed door, which held the twins.

"Don't close yourself off from me. You can't shut down like this. We need to talk about this." Silence met her. "We are talking about a potential court-martial here. The end of your career and you are not going to fight it? I just don't understand. Others would fight this until they were blue in the face, spouting facts from the top of King Micheal's Tower."

Ken's left eyebrow rose slightly as he swallowed the woman's response as the reference to the Queen's private retreat arose.

"Joanna, I need you to stay out of this, please? For both our sakes."

"That's going to be impossible because I am in a relationship with you. Let's not forget the twins. This will affect us all..." Joanna stopped only for her complexion to change as Alexander's treecat tail paused in its swishing movement. Ken recognized the change and spoke.

"No, I mean I really need to stay out of this situation. The Crown has always allowed the Navy to handle its own affairs. For you to interfere here would be a bad situation. You would be like any sanctimonious aristocrat who would use the system for their advantage." Both adults exchanged down to earth expressions at the types of people who had taken advantage of their society to suit their own ends. Ken recognized the edge of apology to hers.

"What's wrong?" For a second his girlfriend did not say anything.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that. I have a hand in this..." Joanna spotted Ken's growing confusion. "You see, love, that night I placed a call to the marines for help..." Joanna tried to continue but Ken's outburst killed the words.

"Good Lord, what's next?" Ken threw up his hands and then rubbed his face. He chuckled as he stopped and looked to Joanna, bewilderment spreading like wildfire on her face.

"Sorry…it's just that if you had not made the call, I would probably be dead right now. They literally saved my life. Well, them and Cummings anyways with their split-second timing." A smile almost erupted onto his face but was vehemently plugged by the revelation on the princess' face. Quiet plastered the suite.

"It seems as though we have both been holding things back recently." Ken did not instantly respond to her plain observation.

"This could cause a whole lot of problems…Which is why I am again asking you to stay out this," Ken expanded as he could almost sense Joanna's discord. "You are going to hate me for saying it, but you must stay out of this. The monarchy must stay out of this. If not now for the future." All humor was fried by the fire in his tone. Ken waited for a few seconds so Joanna's lightning fast tongue wouldn't interrupt him.

"You are afraid of what might happen if knowledge of my involvement gets out? But you are right, I don't hate for you for it, but I can see why." Joanna leaned back into her chair as her mind wound its way through the complications.

"Can I ask how the call was worded?" A millisecond passed as the royal processed Ken's request.

"It was at the request of a Manticorean citizen and a woman needing help to find some lost children."

"Not as the Crown's daughter?" Ken swallowed as the words left his lips. A Medusa glare flashed at him during the time his brain needed to form a rapid fire answer. "I'm sorry. It just had be asked because the Oath of Loyalty…"

The Oath of Loyalty was done by every military branch in the Manticorean armed forces at the start of their military careers. Sworn Oaths to protect and defend the monarchy, the constitution and the star nation.

"Are you thinking the Marines would take my request as an order because of who I am?" Ken was almost ground under by the question.

"Unfortunately I hate to say it, but they might have. I mean, you are two steps away from the throne. And no one would be stupid enough to ignore your request, even a reasonable one such as this." Ken stopped as he sat back and Alexander fell into his lap and purred under Ken's caresses. Joanna almost smiled at the posture until it disappeared under a depressing idea.

"Are you worried about home?" The question spurred a grimace from her boyfriend.

"I can't help it considering everything that has gone on here. Especially if the Opposition gets hold of this."

"This does not concern them." The woman's frozen helium voice chilled the air but not her boyfriend's will.

"I hate to be blunt, but it's not quite true. I mean, the boyfriend of the Crown's daughter involved in an investigation? This will be in their top five of things to be watched. You know how some of them feel about the navy in general, so this will cause a ruckus in some areas but we have to keep it contained.

"Contained?!" Ken swore he thought he heard nervousness in the single-word response but pushed on.

"Which is why you must stay out of this again." Joanna cut him off. Her eyes could have started a wildfire.

"Absolutely not…" Ken countered her words with his own.

"Don't you understand? This is not about you or me. The monarchy must stay out of this and stay above this. The investigation must be seen as impartial. Even at the cost of my career." Joanna's color lightened at his words. His willingness to lose almost everything. But Ken only went onward.

"The Opposition could use this as a wedge into something. Maybe even into a crisis. We have to stop this before it gets too big. Besides, if the core of our society is seen manipulating things to its own ends at the sake of others, it could be the beginning of a slippery slope. "

Ken looked up to see Joanna's warring expression. Warring at least for her. But it soon died.

"You know you give the Opposition too much credit and have too little belief in our people. The Queen and the Prime Minister will stop them before it gets to that point. Besides, the public will hate them for taking shots at the monarchy. However, if the investigators ask me to talk, I will answer their questions."

"Maybe you are right about everything. Of course, I was not born in the Star Kingdom so I am less steady on that particular faith, but I don't doubt the monarchy's strength. I just think she might be limited based on a lot of things. A winning the battle now but losing the war later sort of thing." Ken grinned at he continued. "Who am I to stop you from answering questions? Only a dead man would do that and I would like to live a little bit longer."

The smallest shiver changed Joanna as she rose from the chair, looking smaller than her height.

"You know, this entire thing is set up to almost make you a martyr and I find it revolting."

"I can see that but the investigation will deal with itself and the results will come when they come." Ken turned around to stare out the window.

"You know it can argued it's not really martyrdom if the end is the betterment or protection of society?" The Queen's officer never moved as the House of Winton's oldest daughter's words glided like whispers above the air.

"Maybe, but about the ones left behind?"

….

His eyes focused on the white, stale concrete of Boston's city. The thin slivers of stone holding up the overbearing upper levels. It was almost like illusionary pencil thin braces shaken to their foundations with the weight of the inhuman structure.

Ken knew this to be true but his mind could not help but make connections between the building and the current situation. He shook himself and turned away from the spectacle in front of him.

A few strides while allowing Alexander to adjust to his movements carried him to his desk. Alexander's familiar weight dropped to the desk as Ken sat down and his head fell into his hands.

Dark green eyes fought their way through shadows and spread fingers until inches separated them from the human's. Whiskers and a nose jostled until they found human cheeks and a nose. A brief smile meet them in acknowledge as Ken scooped the treecat in his arms. A quiet purring stilled worries, if only for a brief time.

Alexander sunk into Ken's lap as Ken's right hand moved to the desk's keypad and danced across it. A small drawer slid out from the desk with a small black box inside. A flick of a finger and the miniature box opened.

"Bleek"

Ken's mouth fidgeted at Alexander's reaction as the ring reflected in his eyes. The near priceless icon of commitment set in its holder waiting to be worn. A sigh escaped its owner's mouth and the ring disappeared back into the darkness under the lid. Gentleness placed the box on the desk as a few buttons were pushed and a thumbprint was entered.

"_Password and fingerprint accepted…Personal log journal opened." _The words disappeared from the lifted computer screen. Ken activated the microphone on the screen.

"It's amazing, isn't it? How such a thing as a ring can cause so much torment...Not that I regret it, of course." A smile overpowered his face. "That woman, it's impossible how much she has changed me. Only one other person has done as much." All thoughts stopped as Ken's mind went into overdrive.

"Hell, I never thought I would be in an intimate relationship with anyone near her position. It's ironic in a way. Considering me and my unique childhood…" Darkness blacked his eyes until his irises vanished only to flash back as Alexander sank his front claws into his arm.

"Ouch!" Ken's twisted then paused when he saw Alexander. "I guess I deserved that." His eyes wavered on the hardback copy of the Manticorean constitution standing by the desk's compad and the spring ink pens. "Perhaps it had to do with the fact she had so many choices among her own social class. I know it's heartless for me to think this now but when I first met her, I felt like a fish out of water."

Ken petted Alexander's head as the treecat's two meter long tail wrapped itself around his right arm on the desk. The Queen's officer leaned back in his chair and chuckled.

"I mean, she had all those guys from her own class and yet I ended up dating her. Now it seems so normal. But back then it was so…surreal . Almost like a reverse fairy tale. Like that one with the girl and the glass slipper..." The smile drained from Ken's face.

"It seemed all too impossible at first. Especially with my looks. I mean, I realize as a child, handsome and beauty were an undeniable want for most normal people. Almost to a point where you have to wonder if it's a sort of insatiable need. May heaven help this planet when they get their hands on the biosculpting tech. Plastic surgery was the middle ages compared to this. I just… I mean some are shallow like that.

"But not Joanna." Light reappeared on Ken's face. "No, not her. She looked past this curse of my appearance and looked inside. Just like Sarah did… I mean, it was needed for me in some way for she knows the damage is still there. For while I hated my artificial attractiveness. It disgusted me to no end and it still does. Women and men staring me with lust and hunger. If they only knew the horrors I went through just for someone's sick perversion." A graphite voice ended the line with his teeth peeking through his lips but the jaggedness wandered off as the tension started to leave the foster father once again.

"We learned from the both of us. I learned the lesson again that people can truly reach into your soul and destroy the darkness inside. I am amazed at my changes already. Maybe her absolute need to look at all angles, especially intergalactic affairs, is starting to rub off on me. Something tells me the twins are part of this as well. Just something about raising a child cannot be described. A little flame needed to be…kindled. Just enough fuel and love to let them grow but give them boundaries. Deny the oxygen and their potential dies with them. Such a delicate balance. Life…

"But now this mind-blowing tale could be coming to an end. All to a choice. Or two choices in this case. Both by me. Both obvious but potentially destructive. But I will live with them. Whether it's going after the children I gave my word to protect or protecting the monarchy even through I am not part of it, I would make the same decisions again. I don't think my soul would handle anything else. Some would call me a fool for doing this. But let them ponder this, is it because the woman I love is involved or something else? Higher intentions? Duty? Saved favors? A masochistic streak?" An urchin's smile twisted Ken's face .

"One thing to say them: Damn them. Damn them all. If they had half the fortitude this universe would have a decent shot of turning out it to better than it is now. But I doubt It. I just wish whatever happens, we all survive more or less intact. I pray there's some way for her to still have me in her heart after this. I can only hope."

Ken stood and encrypted the journal.

"Yeah, I can only hope…"

The room seemed exhausted and gray as Ken continued to pause, looking the desk plot. He never noticed the eyes and ears focused in his direction.

**This chapter was going to be combined with the next one but I decided to post this chapter. Plus I filled it more than I had originally intended especially the last scene. Enjoy. I hope it gives you enough to think. Thanks for the support and the comments about this so far.**

**Until next time….**


	24. Needed and Hated

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Tv series or Honor Harrington. Thanks for Sol Invictus for betaing.**

"Now that we are all settled, let's get started."

Ken sat back in his cushy chair with his eyes on the clinical woman opposite him in the room with Alexander's claws bracing him between Ken's shoulder and the chair's back. Claire Fletcher was her name.

"We are here to talk about Zack and Cody and how they are doing. So has anything happened since our last session? Anything at all?"

"Yes, actually, there has. Although I admit it was much more than I thought it could be now that I have thought about it."

"How so?"

"Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning. I have noticed that sometimes the twins have problems sleeping, mostly because both have problems getting up in the morning sometimes. It could be due to school and its stresses, through. But I comprehend their difficulty." Ken noticed the inquisitive stare from the psychologist and deepened his explanation. "My military career has ingrained in me an ability to wake up at a second's notice in case of emergency. Sometimes it turns off when I am not on duty. Other times it never turns off." Ken shrugged at the end. "I guess with the recent situation it decided to rear its ugly head."

Ken looked up and stared at the pad in the therapist's hands and went on. His eyes drifted toward the painting behind the analyst. Yellow flowers and vague brown trees. Strangely relaxing.

"Sometimes when I am awake, I check on things. About a week ago, I was heard a scream from the twins' bedroom." The counselor's pencil was bent at an awkward angle as she dug into the paper, backing up her audio recordings. "I ran to the room. My right hand wrapped itself around the door frame to turn the light on before I was in the room." Ken's jaw reset before he continued. The memories of what the flash of artificial light revealed to him.

"Cody was trembling, he was in a fetal position with his knees drawn up to his face with his blue blanket over his head." The words stopped as Ken froze in realization. "It's…almost as if he was trying to hide from something."

A steady voice asked, "And where was Zack when this happened? You said they sleep just a few feet away from each other."

"He was there." A mumbled response greeted her as two hands formed a base under his chin as his elbows touched the chair's arms. The voice regained its strength. "His face was but a few inches from his twin's. But as soon as he saw me, it was like he was shot. He pushed back but only a little."

Ken wet his lips as he tried to get his next words out. "His face was pale. I suppose you say it looked the face of someone who was caught in the act of doing something wrong."

"Why do you say that? You only walked into the room." Bewilderment topped Claire's voice. Ken smirked at the normal reaction from the professional trained detachment but it melted just as quickly.

"Even now I don't know. I guess I would call it experience. After all I was in trouble myself when I was young." Ken ignored the doctor's probing stare. "But anyway, Zack never took his eyes off me for a few seconds even as I walked into the room and towards them."

Alexander slid down from his perch onto Ken's lap. Ken shifted to accommodate him, missing the notes taken as Claire watched it all.

"It was so quiet even with the rain and thunder clashing outside but Cody's heavy snuffling caught my attention." Alexander's head turned to look at the thought prober while Ken continued.

"I almost had to wedge myself between Zack and the bed to get a look at Cody. That blanket of his acted like a mummy's wrappings covering his face. It was that close to him."

"You tried to calm him down?" The blunt question touched Ken in a negative spot.

"Of course I did! I'm not that cold of a human being." Ken caught the writing utensil dancing across the page but gave up before he did anything. "Still…Cody took forever to calm down. He was hyperventilating when I started to speak to him. I guess the nightmare was still getting to him. I told him to try breathe deeply and that he was safe and it was not real."

Ken looked down as he stopped with his hand buried in Alexander's fur. Its egress paused in its search for a rhythm.

"Yet they can be so real…so real…"

"What was that?" Surprise colored Ken's face as the whimpered words came to him.

"Oh nothing. It was nothing." Ken's finger restarted their dance in the silvery-gray fur.

"Slowly, he did and he gave the okay to let me see him. His face was tomato red. His eyes looked shattered with the tears running and the way the blood in them expanded. The sheet was held in a iron grip like it was the only thing keeping him alive. I could see the pool under his nose as well. I lowered myself to his eye level, to let them see me. But then he…"

Claire Fletcher, psychologist, noticed Ken swallowing and asked with narrowed eyes but gentle tone "What did Cody do?"

"He hugged me. I mean not gentle. More like a bear hug or a death grip. Or least as much as a twelve old can. Which is a lot, by the way." A supernova would not have been brighter than Ken's smile right then."

What is it?" Ken eyes glowed as he answered the plain question.

"Neither of them have either wanted or started a hug before. I mean I have not been that intimate with them before. Maybe it's my own fault but I have touched them before but never to the point where it's been that…um… physical." Ken almost shrugged as he dragged out the words.

"You do realize some kids, especially foster children, are very distant from the people they live with? I mean with the twins' past…"

"I know… I know that all too well…" Ken's mood darkened with the response. "But I want to. Just let them know them I care. But it's hard to figure where the line I can cross is where they accept it and know I'm there for them and where I don't push them into situations they are not comfortable with."

Fletcher quickly scratched down Ken's anguish before responding.

"That's something that has to be worked out in time. It can't be rushed."

"Of course, it's just that it's the first time where it's been this difficult. This is not the first time I watched a child, just the first time I had primary responsibility for one. I understand if they have their 'I want to be left alone moments' but to…" Ken froze, only to shake his head. "Talk about irony…"

"What's so ironic about this?"

Alexander's movement matched Ken as they both caught the therapist waiting for him to continue and a fake cheery smile was on display. Claire just waited as she had no idea of the double irony here. Only one was being spoken of.

"The ironic part is that here we are here trying to solve the twins' issues but we delving into my problems."

"Who says the twins' and yours' are not connected?" Sly eyes met Ken's arched eyebrows and Alexander's claws digging into Ken's pants legs. "Or maybe should I maybe we can't solve both sets at the same time? What's the harm?"

"Oh I don't know, trying to explain my soul to a mind reader. One who, let's be frank here, never experienced anything of what I went through in my life or my career for that matter." Fletcher's face suffered a tic as the broadside impacted at suicide range. The spasm disappeared after a second. Heat escaped from the room until Claire's clinical tone returned.

"That's true for your experiences. But you requested my help with your situation, so we can get through this. After all, we are worried about Zack and Cody." She watched as the human gun eyes lowered from the firing position and pivoted away.

"You're right…."

"Well let's wrap things up for today." Claire turned off the recording. "Besides we need to talk about the twins' progress. Or lack thereof with one of them. But I think Joanna needs to hear this as well." Ken accepted her reasoning and waited for Joanna to enter the room.

Joanna sat next to Ken as they both faced the counselor.

"I suppose we'll deal with Cody first. It seems as though he has made slight progress…"

"I presume you are talking about his nightmare and Ken?" Claire turned toward Ken, who could not help but smile and shrug at the same time.

"I don't keep much from her. Besides she noticed Cody was off the next morning and me worrying about it." Fletcher just nodded in understanding and continued.

"The hug may be a first step. I realize it may seem slow but it's a start. Has he started talking about anything else such as his kidnapping?"

"Not really…we think he may have talked to Zack. But never to us."

"I mean I think it's not surprising. I would rather confide in my brother than my parents in a lot of things. I was comfortable with him since he could not punish me or something." Joanna's addition drew a stare from Ken. The princess caught it and gave a quick head shake.

"I happen to agree with you, unfortunately. Hopefully, once they get more comfortable, things will improve. Especially since it appears Cody has slowly warmed toward Ken. Now as for Zack…" The therapist sighed deeply, relieving the stress in her face. "…he has hit a dead end." The words stunned the foster parents.

"What?...How?" Foster mother and father wore dumbfounded expressions of which Claire Fletcher saw all too often.

"To be honest, there too many reasons to count. Most of which are not good. Besides the obvious mistake on my part, another one could be the fact he does not know how express what he thinks…"

"If I may, I don't think that's likely. There was one time he was definitely open and quite loudly too." Fletcher saw emphatic agreement from both parents at Ken's words.

"A third possibility could he is very protective of himself, like he is of Cody, it seems. He feels maybe if he does not reveal what is bothering him, it can't be used against him." Joanna's raised hand erupted and the woman answered her opposite before the question was asked. "Yes it's confusing but right we could be dealing with a complex reason we are not aware of."

"However, I have another therapy Zack could try out instead of talking and it might work out better for him. It's called art therapy." The psychologist clearly had the attention of her audience and steadied herself before going forth. "It's a type of therapy where the kids usually draw pictures of what or how they are feeling. Sometimes kids are better at expressing in pictures or poetry than talking to someone. Doing these things tends to easier for someone to do because when you try to talk to someone about something really difficult, you sometimes have this wall that prevents it from happening."

A silent wall was the only signal she received but it did not stop her.

"Drawing a picture or writing a poem is more private and less stressful to someone at times. I have already given Zack some materials to start and I would recommend buying some more materials to keep him going."

Ken's blunt observation stopped everything. "I know to be an idiot for pointing out the obvious but he is eleven, almost twelve, and we are thinking drawing will help?" Joanna head turned so fast and bewilderment scarred her face but the counselor answered anyway.

"It seem to be a little old for him to do, but in the long run, does it matter if it is if it works? Besides, maybe he will discover something about himself if it does. Sometimes, even in a complicated life, it's the simplest things that work. "

"The point is conceded. I never should have been so shallow minded." Ken looked at his wristcom and motioned toward Joanna. All three and one treecat rose to their feet and walked to the door.

"That's fine. Just remember this is a group effort to help these two." Curiosity dribbled itself from her mouth. "I do have a question to ask, Captain. I remembered our conversation from earlier. Have ever used psychology during your career by chance?"

Ken paused and smirked back at the counselor. "Why, it's a sort of needed hobby. Between figuring out the officers under one's command and their strengths and weaknesses, dealing with diplomats and government officials, it's a necessity. Let alone during combat."

"Combat?" Surprise creased the woman's face.

"You see during battle or even during preplanning situations, we have to get inside our opponents' minds to figure out what moves they could make before they do them so we can counter them to stay alive."

The casual tone stunned Claire Fletcher even after Ken Mitchell and Joanna left the room and closed the door behind them.

…..

"Excuse me…sorry." Zack, Cody and Tom Connelly just missed being steamrolled by the human being known as First Sgt. Cummings as the Queen's Own armsmen rushed through the door, almost distractedly closing it behind him.

"We might have a problem here." The six words whispered into Ken's ear a few steps in the suite's living room, forced a one word response.

"Problem?"

"Yes, someone from home is here. I have a feeling they are here see the princess." The last two, deathly silent, could barely be heard but Ken understood the meaning.

"Who…" Ken's question was cut by Joanna.

"What's going on, Ronald? You seem rushed." Cummings composed himself to get the words out.

"Someone's here to see you. Only you. This person is very obviously one of us since he's from home and due to his dimensions." The last words drew a curious look from Joanna as she started to put the pieces together but was interrupted by Cody's nagging voice.

"The three of us are leaving for the park. Is that…" Ken cut him off.

"Fine, fine, fine." The twins froze at the sharp outburst but Joanna responded calmly even as her eyes targeted Ken.

"Yes, you may go. Be careful, stay safe, and please call us if anything changes. Any of you." Tom even smiled as he understood the instructions.

Zack's hand reached for the door handle only for the door to swing open and miss him by inches. The older twin backed up into his brother and friend as an almost impossibly rotund man entered the room with the Queen's Own looking on in professionally hidden disgust. He was in a levitating chair a few inches off the ground which barely cleared the door.

The man gave a quick glance around the room with polite disapproval on his face until he saw Princess Joanna and it disappeared instantly into comprehension. But this visitor, as he entered, missed the expression of fiery eyes and soul-eating hatred on someone's face. Captain Ken Mitchell and Joanna did not.

…..

Physical revulsion and mental detachment split Ken in half.

Ken amazed himself at his fortitude as he stared at the flesh and blood gluttonous man sitting in the hovering chair. This cesspool of a so-called man stared at Joanna as they talked. Ken was in awe at her self control. But he switched off his emotional response and looked at the current situation. If that were possible…

Politics played its role as it usually does in a normal human society with all its beauty and moles. The Star Kingdom was no exception. It developed a political environment where there were civilized ways (and institutions) for things to be done without resorting to riots. It created a very open system with open and upward mobility. The creative energies of the population were funneled into making an advanced society and active electorate without overthrowing the whole thing.

That was not to say there was no disagreements in this cauldron. Of course there would be with 5 major political parties involved, spanning the entire range of opinions. Add in the endless possibilities for possible smoke-filled backroom deals along with occasional independent voting outside of complete party control, everything else on Pegasus would be boring in comparison. Each side had nailed down specific desires each wanted. But the parties practiced pragmaticism with their long term planning while waiting for short-term opportunities to gain an advantage if only those long terms were not put in danger. After all, time was on someone's side with the ability to live for a couple of hundred years.

The floating conservative was no joke, either. A part of Ken even agreed with the conservative ideals. They were not centered around some social hotbed issues. Their ideals were… pure.

Even as he stood here experiencing the "backwardness" of the twins' planet, he could not help but be dragged (kicking screaming in his head) into agreement with them in some aspects. Their belief in a society's stability was paramount.

Ken agreed with this. A society with no basis in stability was no society at all. Just a gathering of humans with lost potential.

Of course their version of stability was keeping the power and privilege where it was with the intention of increasing the nobility's power.

But a twisted sense of humor and reality brought Ken around to their desire for isolationism.

That, too, was understandable on a somewhat intellectual level…but not completely in Ken's eyes.

They wanted control. That was obvious. Having society being completely turned over so quickly would disrupt this. But Ken's status as a child immigrant gave him a special viewpoint with this. He believed that without the occasional infusion of new blood a society would stagnate and die.

Now if the conservatives could somehow control the growth to ensure the protection of the core of Manticore's society, so much the better and if they happen to become a more powerful political party so much the better. If not….

Ken's mind fired off in delight as he imagined any of this planet's citizens encountering a conservative stick in the mud noble and the noble dying from the lack of "proper" attitudes. The bowing and scraping to their betters.

Of course Ken severely doubted their own private attitudes towards the lesser humans would not help them in the least. Especially if the locals got to see what they were truly like.

Of course Ken knew this snobbiness was not limited to one political faction.

But there was one thing Ken was in full accord with the Conservative Association and that was their need for a strong military, even through it was to protect their precious isolation. But he wondered if they ever thought about the clashing nature of their beliefs. That the fact their isolationism warred with the Star Kingdom's lifeblood of its intergalactic trade and the influences and impacts that might come with it.

_Of course all the idealism in the universe just wont mix when certain creatures blackened everything around them_.

_Like Dimitri Young for instance._

_He's a living embodiment of everything negative human beings can be._ A roadblock stops the man's mindtrain from leaving this particular station.

_Okay maybe I'm biased. How can I not be? Between what I know of him and Sarah, it would take a perfect God not to be impacted not to have some negative opinion about him_.

_I mean I would not put it past him to have something to do with her downfall. What she did took a lot of guts…No wonder I liked her so much…_

A subtle warmth heated his internal darkness as past memories swam in his mind. Blissful. Essential. Everlasting. But they could not last forever as they were compartmentalized.

_That doesn't even include those damned North Hollow Files. The pox of Manticorean politics…. _Ken froze as his mind centered recent events.

_Oh dear…what if he finds out about the inquiry? It's not hard. He's on the Naval Affairs Committee and I know he could get access if he wanted…_ Ken's blood turned to lava, no matter what his mind tried to do.

_But good luck trying to use it against me, you arrogant over-indulgent, self abusive carcass. I know what I did was right. You are not going to use it to force me to do your bidding. Oh no, I don't think so._

Brown eyes spun back to the conversation the princess and her visitor were having as mysterious puzzle pieces floated in his mind until the possibilities focused around one person…

Joanna…

_He could use me to force things on issues he wants or maybe use me in the future for some impact. Especially if he believes Joanna influenced the inquiry somehow. It's not like the monarchy going to budge, but it can't hurt to have an ace in the hole. I mean he is probably the brain trust of the Conservative Association._

_It's not like he has anything to truly get me from my past. Let's see, I am a genetically adjusted human being with the DNA to make me one of the most handsome boytoys._

Ken stopped as he felt a part of himself revolt with the information. But it was less than it was. After all, time heals all wounds_. _Or not.

_I was used for someone's pleasurable enjoyment and tossed aside. And it's not like there has been others. Hell, genetic adaptation is acceptable these days for certain situations for humans to survive other planetary environments and fight diseases_. _But not in my extreme case._

_I've seen more in one of the first dozen or so years of my artificial existence then he has in his lifetime. So dish it out, I can take it._

_But there is one way to deal with fat Dimitri. A duel. A perfectly legal but frowned upon duel. With two .45 caliber pistols. Ken's mind twisted with the possibility._

_The Ellington Protocol, perhaps? I mean how can I miss the tub of lard with ten shots..._The idea died as reality set in as he felt the blinders being forced off his eyes.

_Oh never mind, I suspect he could hire a professional duelist if he had to and say his physical limitations prevented his personal involvement. And hide how he did it, too._

_It would just cause more problems for Joanna anyway. Besides, the monarchy would have disavow me as a result and our romance would die on the vine_. Ken sensed coolness in his thoughts as he continued even he noticed Alexander staring at him without blinking.

A ripple akin to absurdity as he remembered something previously said to him.

_Oh man Joanna was right. I do have a death wish. Or least the attitude of a bull in a china shop sometimes. You would think I would have learned something by now. I guess that old phrase about emotion beating logic every time still rings true. And here I am in a relationship with royalty…_

_Either that or someone godlike has a twisted sense of enjoyment… Or irony. I mean, me, the industrial vat batch creation having a relationship with a royal. _For an instant, humor, Ken's own humor, overwhelmed him but not enough to reach his face.

_But I must admit it was a pleasing idea. No, I have to play this as it goes. I don't like it. The inquiry is still going on. If I do anything rash, it could get worse_.

_I know of a lot of people who love to see that happen to him to see him die. Sarah, too, I bet, considering how many people's lives he has disrupted or has under his thumbs as a result of his influence. May heaven help him or the rest of his family if the rumors are true about their private life escapades. Especially any of the depraved ones. The suspect list in any case of suspicious death for them is an endless line. I pity the police to try and figure that out. And that does not even include any people who would do it just for the sake of getting rid of that particular defective gene pool._

Ken felt a trickle in his brain as he shifted again. Like one of those archaic steam trains as they switched tracks at a transfer point.

_Speaking of Joanna, I wonder how he knew she was here. The Queen's Own should have some fun with that question, I bet. To be a fly on their wall…wow._

Ken caught Dimitri Young's eyes tag him and Joanna saw what he was doing.

"Ah Ken, there you are. His Lordship and I were talking about current events back home. It's really enlightening. Come join us."

"My pleasure." Ken's smile did not reach his eyes as he stared at his guest. Staring at a human monstrosity sitting in a counter-gravity chair. The same tech all modern craft shared. But this case to help with extravagant human desires, not convenience.

_I can't help but wonder how he feels about a commoner military dog such as myself. After he used to wear the same uniform ages ago….Probably hated it I bet. Note to self: Ask Moseby to see how he treated everyone._

Ken's willpower prevented him from shivering in the presence of Dimitri Young, the Tenth Earl of North Hollow. Conservative Whip and manipulator in the House of Lords. Glutton. Sadist.

**The universe just keeps getting bigger.**

**Okay, this is actually the first part of a two part chapter. Part two will be posted tomarrow. The decision was made after Sol Invictus made on an observation on the 7200 word length and made the suggestion and I agreed with him. So please review. **

**Until next time...**


	25. Tom and Sarah

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life TV series or the Honor Harrington book series. Thanks to Sol Invictus for betaing.**

"Tom! Tom! Dude… stop already!"

Inferno eyes made the sidewalk seem like quick drying cement to Zack and Cody's sneaker soles. The crowds swerved around the child and his friends. Friends who he stared at with a scorching glare as they stared and waited for his eruption.

But it never came. The fires dimmed in his eyes and their grey, ashen color returned. The darkness in his face lifted and the air around him lightened to match the sunny day around the three of them.

"Why did you run?" Tom listened to Zack's question even as the trio's slightly labored breathing bought time.

Time stopped as the brothers waited. But their friend remained mute. His eyes losing their color until dimness took over. Then the auburn haired boy turned instantly and continued on his previous course.

"What's up with him?" Zack's words touched Cody, who shrugged as both sped up to stay in contact.

"I have no idea. Just be happy he's not running anymore."

…

The bird's caw seemed like the only thing around in the Boston Commons. Besides the grass, some trees, a bench or two and one eleven year old boy. But soon the isolation was broken by two others.

The two interlopers looked at each other then the younger one moved forward toward his friend.

"Do you mind if we join you?" The soft words forced a smile from Tom.

"Sure." The twins sat down in the grass and let the quiet surround them. Until their own natural nosiness got in the way.

"Tom's what's wrong?"

Tom's voice was clear. "Nothing."

"So you are saying getting mad and giving us looks that scared and confused us, are nothing?"

Zack's challenge forced Cody to tap his brother's foot with his own but Tom did not do anything but get off the ground. Zack rolled his eyes at Cody at the potential for repeated running but watched as Tom strolled toward a small pond a few feet and looked down. His simmering image staring back at him.

Cody bit his lip as he watched the sullen child kneel down for a closer inspection. His eyes going blank then refocusing as he almost sprinted to his friend's side. Zack watched until he, too, followed.

"I've never seen you this angry before. I mean I realize we may not have been friends long but I would thought what we have would have meant something." Tom's shimmering eyes touched his soul but determination pushed past his sensitive nature. "I have to ask this: Does it have to do with that...em…guy in the suite?"

Cody stared back toward Zack as he waited for the answer, his brother's humor not evident even now.

"It does…" Both blonds whipped toward Tom. "It does, but before I say anything, I have to apologize for lying to you."

"How?" Zack's stunned voiced asked the obvious. "You are Tom Connolly, right?" A hollow laugh fell from the awakened one as he rose to full height.

"Yes, that's my name. I meant I lied about my background…" The hesitation brought a sigh until the words flowed. "You see I am and always have been a citizen of the Star Kingdom of Manticore."

"No way…that's not possible." Zack's skepticism and his loudness forced the birds into the air as well as a few onlookers turned to look at the boys as well. Tom started to rock back and forth on his feet.

"What I think my brother is asking is how did you get here and what does this have to do with you being upset?" Cody's even tone relaxed Tom as he organized his thoughts.

"In a word: Everything….Where do I start?"

"From the beginning, where else?" Cody shook his head at Zack's wisecrack.

"I'll start with the basics. You know my name and I was born on Sphinx. I moved here last year, a couple of months after we revealed ourselves to you."

"But why Boston of all places?"

"That was that Mom's choice. She wanted my opinion on where to live." Tom's fingers touched the pond water as he continued. "Sphinx has a lot of forests and virgin territory where it's dangerous. I guess she wanted a complete change of scenery. Which was understandable considering what she went through."

"Which was…?" Gray eyes meet deep green as Tom smirked at Zack and then at Cody.

"Does he always act this impatient?"

Cody paused and then smiled. "Sometimes"

"I just had to ask, that's all." Zack's interjection was cut off by Tom's continuance.

"My mom got into trouble back home and we moved to get away from it. I realize that does not explain everything," the storyteller added as he saw a raised hand from the markedly impatient one.

"My mom was involved in politics as an adviser to the Opposition and the Conservative Association as well. You see when the discovery was announced about this place, it caused a lot of excitement to go on back home. But not everyone was happy about it."

"Why not? It would be a new place for you guys to explore." Tom nodded.

"I am not sure. I guess they would lose something from it. But they tried to hide it from the public and say they were thrilled about the discovery as well. But some reporters printed stories about their true feelings about the whole thing. It ticked my mom's bosses off badly. I really was not paying attention with school going on, so I almost ignored it. Good thing I did not because their anger changed everything."

A scowl crawled onto his face as his fingernails dug into his palms as the twins wore worried looks.

"They tried to tell who revealed their lies. It was almost like a matter of pride of them. They were embarrassed. They took it out on people they found out about."

"Your mom…"

"Yeah, she was one of them. And they killed her career. Of course it was done behind closed doors but it still sucked." Venom poured from the last word as a shadow of previous anger resurfaced.

"So you blame the guy in the suite for your mom's career ending?" Tom winced at the younger twin's suggestion but Zack interrupted him.

That guy's not a man. He's a whale. I don't know how he can move without being crushed by his own weight." Cody stared at him in shock but Tom's boisterous laugh drew him short.

"Thanks. I needed that. And that's why he has the chair. To support his weight." Tom grinned until he went serious.

"I guess the guy just brought up bad memories since I recognized him being a guy with power. Or least someone who I think could have had something to do with it. I mean I know he works with the people who forced my mom out. But this is the first time I've met him so I don't think he recognized me at all."

"I guess I can't blame you at all. I know I would have the same feelings as you." Tom exchanged smiles with Zack until Cody broke into the camaraderie.

"What about Ken? Do you think we should tell him about this?"

"Why? What's the point? He does not have to know!"

"But Zack, he takes care of us. This might affect him. I mean, you know…" Tom disintegrated Cody's attempt at a lecture.

"I am sure you will not have to worry about that part I'm afraid." Inquiring looks pulled the rest out of him. "Well I am very sure Ken knows who I am. You see, my mom and him have known each other since they were a little older than us."

"So I'm sure she has changed a little bit since then, right?"

"Not much as you would think, Zack. Prolong slows down aging remember? They both are not so much older than they looked in college and the academy. I saw a picture of them from back then. No change almost except hair style and clothing. Besides, there's another little thing about Ken that practically guarantees he knows who I am."

And what would that be? " Tom mischievous smile threw both off guard. What said could have blown them off with a light wind.

"Well, Cody, Ken happens to be my godfather as a matter of fact."

"You're not kidding, are you?" A head shake answered Cody. With Tom, turned away from the pond and stretched.

"Wait a moment…if Ken knows who you are, them how come he has not said anything about it?"

"That one stumps me as well. No way has he forgotten what I looked liked. He has pictures of me. Heck, my mom sent him one of me from three years ago. Then again it's been almost two years since we talked when I met him in the suite the first time.

"Two years. That's insane." Shock reached Tom as the trio walked back onto the park's pathway.

"I know. I guess with being assigned here and before that all the different posts he had, he just never found time, I guess." Unhappiness took the air from the boys for a few seconds.

"And your mom never asked him to help?"

"I don't think so. If she did, it was not anything I noticed. We requested immigration to this planet and were allowed to do so. Oh, by the way, as long as I am confessing, I have been not trying my hardest in class."

"Why would you be doing that, you got a B on the last math test?" Tom turned and raised his eyebrows at Cody.

"To tell you the truth, I was sort of bored. It's not very challenging in some ways." Zack and Cody's chins dropped. "Besides, think about it, it's great cover. With that, I'm just an average student. Not sticking out or making noise." The Manty turned and walked away, leaving two stunned preteen twins behind. They shook themselves and caught up with the newly revealed citizen.

"Okay that's it. What else do you know or…"

"What are you not telling us?" Cody completed Zack's thoughts.

"Well, if you must know…." A sly grin creased Tom's face as he almost mesmerized his two companions as they walked towards the Boston Common entrance.

…..

"Am I the only one who feels like he has to take a shower after that?!"

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration."

"Not for me, I almost could not stand him. I'm thankful he's gone."

"He's a fat spider in his web using his knowledge for the best advantage he can get. He's like any other politician I can think of." Joanna fired back with a flourish of intensity.

"All politicians, you say?" Ken tensed at Joanna's prickly response and pushed through his idiocy as he swallowed his foot.

"I did not mean you, obviously. Or the Prime Minster. Or the Queen." Ken swallowed as he finished counting and saw Joanna looking at him expressionless.

"I would hope so. At best, it's condescending. At worst, it's career ending."

I'm just saying…"

"I understand completely and in North Hollow's case, I agree with you in completely personal and unofficial terms as possible. He's a toad, plain and simple."

"Ha! So you agree with me." Ken's exuberance forced a smile on Joanna's face.

"I understand why you think that…" Joanna's finger started to tap the couch arm as she watched Ken acknowledge her words. She paused to scratch Alexander's neck as the treecat sat behind her. The Queen's Officer smiled at the treecat's relaxed pose.

"…But it's an old argument between us. One stumped on too much by both of us. Like a dance we've memorized. Immediately something caught my attention and almost distracted me from the meeting. You saw Tom?"

"How could I not?" Apprehension flexed his fingers. "If Tom was 20 or 30 years older, we would had a massive problem on our hands."

"Especially since we confirmed our suspicions with that background check the Queen's Own did." Joanna recognized a thin smile broaching on his face.

"Just like me…"

"Standard security procedure. It feels wrong checking out a child like this…"

"But you had no choice. Your security cannot be risked. It was a simple background check."

"But sir, it was strange what we discovered. It was a mixed job. Mrs. Connelly never changed their names in the documents. But she did try to hide the fact they were moving in the first place. It was half done…"

"Strange indeed." Ken responded to Alice Powe's add-on to the conversation. The Queen's Own detachment CO was a few feet behind Joanna but never completely invisible. At least not to Ken.

"You're right. It's not like her at all. Could have been a rush job to get them both out ASAP. Especially if she was afraid of any backsplash onto Tom."

"What do we do now? I mean Tom acted like a normal child and he still is." Joanna added seeing Ken's rebuke."But we have to play this carefully." Joanna saw shadows of movement as Alexander pounced from the back of the couch to the chair Ken was sitting in. The fur ball climbed up the chair to his familiar place at Ken's shoulder.

"Yes, definitely. I don't want to be the cause of destroying whatever she is trying to create. Our friendship is worth too much to do that. I have a responsibility to protect Tom. It's not his fault he is in this situation."

If Ken had looked up at that exact moment, he have noticed a strange expression on Joanna's face. Uncertainty covered all but it was pushed away just as fast. But it came out in another way.

Words.

"You still love her, don't you?"

….

Emotional earthquakes destroyed any comfortable atmosphere between the couple.

Oral concussive blasts shattered Ken's reflective nature. A flesh and blood statue replaced him. It became complete with matching treecat claws digging into his shoulders as both suffered under the burden of the query that sideswiped them. One which could force them into very dangerous territory.

Ken gathered up the pieces of his mind and attempted to put them together, humpty-dumpty style. His mind was still coming together. It was not complete but it was coherent.

"Yes…" The answer flummoxed the princess. But Ken recognized a hurricane brewing between the facial tick and her hands flexing open and close. But Joanna simply breathed in and out while the storm brewed inside. But Ken continued while this happened.

"I do love her…" Ken moved forward and wrapped his hands around Joanna's arms. "But not in the way I love you." Joanna looked up and saw the heavenly smile on his face. "Not in a romantic way but a higher way." Ken saw her serenity reach back into her eyes. " I cannot do anything else but thank her for what she did. You see, when I first arrived in the Star Kingdom, I was closed off. A child completely cut off and cold to the outside. Everyone was in another universe compared to me. I did not care about anyone or anything. I was more a computer than a human. No faith in the goodness of others, only figuring out how they affected my life. Mostly in a negative way."

The anger vanished and understanding shown on Joanna's face as Ken's tale continued as Alexander's tail wrapped itself around his neck as the treecat continued to move himself closer to his human.

"Sarah, in her own way, refused to let me go. Her…gentle ferocity cracked the despondency I was in. It was like some big weight was taken from me. Or like I was released from some self-imposed trap. Do you understand?"

Joanna stared directly at her boyfriend. A sometimes fragile title.

"Not totally to be honest. You told me and my family what you went through and sometimes it seems so hard to completely get around it. I can hear your words and decipher what you tell me but on some level, I can never truly know what you went through. "

Joanna paused as her eyes cleared then sadness peaked in them along with truth.

"Not in my soul anyway." A transfixed expression wandered onto Ken's face. Almost humorless but not anyway laughable.

"They say experience is the best teacher. In this case, it could not more truthful. Especially when it comes to life, pain and tragedy. " Ken realized his words struck home too late. "Sorry…my blunt side came out again."

You're forgiven. This time." A fingertip buried itself in his chest with a matching smile.

"It's just that sometimes I am afraid of what I would have become if it was not for her. Especially with how some other victims have reacted under similar circumstances. With direct action."

"The Audubon Ballroom is a terrorist organization which even the Star Kingdom has outlawed, Ken. Let alone the rest of the known galaxy." Joanna bit her lip as she stopped her speech. "But I can understand if your ideas conformed with theirs on certain things. Or at least sympathized with them."

"Getting back at the people who hurt or made us from scratch to suit certain needs and sell us like cattle. I'd hope so. That does not mean I agree with their colorful methods of execution and attempts at persuasion."

"Good for all of us then. Besides what some may call persuasion, others may call revenge." Joanna cupped his face then kissed his cheek. Ken watched as she walked away.

_Yes, love it's true. But even an urge for revenge sometimes catches up to the best of us. We're only human after all._

**This two part chapter went a little longer than I anticipated (No kidding, right?) and I had get rid of a few humorous bits to shorten it but those can be used for another time. Maybe even the next chapter? However, as they say, the plot thickens.**

**Until next time…****…**


	26. Meeting at the Foster Agency

**Disclaimer: I don't own either Suite Life or the Honor Harrington Book Series. I would like to thank sol invictus for betaing this.**

"You know, it's getting to the point where I am starting to almost like going to the kids' parent-teacher conferences," Ken smiled as the pair walked toward John Adams Elementary's front doors, the blustery wind whipping around the yard as the human wave trampled the unforgiving concrete under their feet.

"Well, this is coming from a honors student when he graduated high school, that's not surprising." Joanna fired back at her boyfriend with his furry shadow in his usual position.

"Speak for yourself. It took quite a lot of studying for me to do that. I was in the top 1 percent of my class, thank you very much. Were you not tutored?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I was, considering the ulcers and rashes, let alone the sleepless nights, I would put security through at a normal school." Joanna paused as her voice misted. "Though it would have been fun, I think…." The black haired woman shrugged. "Or at least less boring."

"I can see that, being surrounded tutors a lot. They say being in an elevated position is easy."

Joanna's granite eyes stared back. "They have no idea…"

The wind was their only companion as they entered the school. The armsmen checked the path ahead, professionally paranoid but steady in their procedure. Practically sure of any lack of threat considering this visit was private and unannounced, their worst fears buried. Of course, there was the matter of avoiding the students dashing down the hallways or doorways opening in their faces.

The convoy moved steadily, with purpose, their human bubble deathly silent.

It was shattered.

"Ken! Ken!" A second passed as the voice registered in the Captain's brain but instinct took over as his sight caught the screaming bullet of Tom Connelly, the sneakers on his feet a blur. Ken swerved around Joanna touching the shoulder of the detail's point man, whose arm had sneakily found its pulser holster on his waist. A simple stare stopped it cold as Tom drew up in front of them, unaware of the intricate dance just performed between the pair.

Joanna pulled even with Ken as Tom breathed heavily in and out as words died in his throat. Ken bent down to the boy's level as Alexander balanced himself with a treecat's paw lying on Ken's head. Time drained as Ken waited.

"Zack…Cody…" Tom froze as Ken's hands wrapped themselves around his upper arms. His words were gentle but stress was evident.

"Breathe, Tom…what happened?" The boy looked at Joanna then back at his godfather. His breathing slowly calmed but in its place were rapid fire words.

"They were pulled from their class. It was odd because they didn't do anything wrong. I went after class to see what happened. They were in the principal's office. Some lady was with them. She was talking to the principal. I didn't mean to sneak up like that. I just wanted to know what happened to them."

"Its okay, Tom. We understand." Ken's smooth words gave him a break but his presence solidified his courage as Ken rose to his feet but Tom's quick peek saw the man's right hand still grasping his shoulder.

"Did this woman say who she was, by chance?" Tom swallowed as he looked past Ken to the princess as a sense of nervousness came over him. He quickly answered as if he wanted to run from the words at the situation's urgency.

"She said she was from the Massachusetts Department of Children and Family and she was here to take the twins out of school." Tom stopped as Ken and Joanna exchanged troubled looks. He looked down only to push himself to continue. "I tried to stay but I was afraid of getting caught so I left the office. I couldn't hear anything else but I did see them leave.

"They both looked terrible. Like they seen a ghost. I wanted to reach out and talk to them but they left so fast, I…" A heavy weight fell on the boy's shoulders. "What could have caused them to pull them out of school like that? Is it even legal? "

"I….We are going to find out what's behind this." Tom detected something from Ken's voice but could not recognize it but he did see age appear on the brown haired man's face. Ken turned and put one foot down before pausing.

"Do you have a ride home, Tom?"

The boy responded without hesitation. "Yes, I can take the late bus. It leaves in five minutes."

"Good. Go home. We'll handle it from here." Ken's voice was leeched dry of emotion but Tom's worry reached out.

"But what about Zack and Cody? They cannot just leave like that!" Joanna answered the desperate questions.

"Tom, I understand you're worried. You're not the only one, trust us on that. Let us figure this out. But thank you for telling us this, you are a true friend."

Tom blushed as he smiled at the compliment but before anything was said two words exploded from Ken's mouth.

"Let's move." Joanna stared at Tom, seeing his stare at Ken as the man moved back down the hallway from which they came. Only she wondered what the godson was thinking about at that exact moment as he bit down on his lower lip. But Joanna turned away, leaving the brooding child to himself.

….

"The school was certainly caught off guard by this." Joanna almost sprinted up to Ken. His legs were burning up the distance by the millisecond.

"No doubt…." Her uncertainty stirred him. "If it's not one thing, it's another."

"You know, we could give him a ride home."

"I know, but right now I want to tackle one thing at a time and the twins are first priority." Resignation showed as he answered his girlfriend. "Any other time I would but not now."

"Car's up and ready." Lt. Powe poked into the conversation with the update.

"Thanks Alice." The guard's CO responded with silence to the gratitude. "Push the speed limit, will you? Not reckless but be expedient considering we know where to go."

"Route's already planned and set." A tinge of satisfaction colored Ken's face, matching Joanna's hidden stress as the doors opened and shut behind them as the group rushed towards the vehicles.

…..

"May I ask your reasoning for Zack and Cody's removal from their school? It seems abrupt to say the least." Ken's words reached to the small audience in front of him. Confusion, tension and energy all rolled over them.

"Abrupt, Captain? No, not at all. The decision was made after considering the circumstances." Serenity disrupted the swirling emotions for a second. The buds on the tree branches spoke to the changing weather conditions, mirroring the human ones inside the room.

"Circumstances, Ms. Oliver?"

"You see, Captain, we found out about a little investigation your own people were doing on you. There's no way you don't know about it, is there?" Ken's silence answered the question without need. Oliver's hands tapped a folder and Joanna's eyes narrowed as she sat watching the whole thing until an impulse broke through her control.

"How?" Oliver looked at her opposite for a few quiet seconds, examining her. Then spoke.

"It was not even us at first. We did not even know it was going on. You see, they called us. The military investigators. They asked us for some information on Ken as a foster parent." Olivia saw Ken's face stretch to his skull as she continued. "It was strange. Just his status and situation as a foster parent along with any reports we have made. Of course we wanted to know why. So we asked but they refused to go into specifics, saying they were looking into you."

Oliver stared at Ken and then wondered about that treecat. The creature stiffened as she talked while Ken's knuckles started to whiten.

"You can't blame us for our actions. It was discretion on our part considering everything that has happened to both of them." The foster parents stayed mute so she continued.

"But we refused to give them any info on you." Ken's eyebrows rose in shock and a little color returned but the coloring in stopped when the words strayed, losing any positivity.

"Their simple request made us wonder and we delved deeper, asking questions of the cops." The silence was expanding with each breathing until the Grand Canyon could fit inside. "They cooperated fully with the Department of Children and Family hence the reason for the report under my hand and the removal of Zack and Cody from John Adams Elementary this afternoon. "

Mrs. Oliver waited for Ken and Joanna to digest everything before continuing but Ken stopped her as Alexander's eyes dug into her.

"You wondered how two foster children ended in a back alley, beaten up and nearly dead on a freezing Boston night?" Oliver confirmed his question.

"The obvious people to look at are the foster parents themselves since they were supposed to watch and care for the children." The foster system supervisor's voice tone could have chipped titanium steel with its sharpness.

"That's only justified…" Joanna spoke softly with resignation but resolve broke through. "But we'd never hurt them."

"I like to believe you, I really would. We can never have enough foster parents. But something forced those two into the bitter cold that night and I must figure out why and how. And I must know if it can happen again…" A cold draft mixed with Oliver's words as her doggedness pushed at the suspects in front of her. Countermanding her desperation for more help for her wondering souls.

"It was me. Only me." Oliver's voice was severed for a few seconds as she watched Ken sit down in a chair. The treecat bunched on his legs, his silted green eye stared straight at her.

"How?"

"It is something so stupid. I realize that now." A sigh floated to Oliver, whose patience lengthened. Even a shallow smile appeared and then melted from Ken's face. "Its amazing how chaos just seems to follow sometimes, doesn't it?"

Humor died as Oliver's face tightened and Ken continued.

"It was a party. One with a political tilt, I must say. Everything was going fine for the most part. VIPs and other embassy staff around. The boys were supposed to be upstairs."

"It had to be pretty bad for you to get angry like I think you did." Oliver's shot was countered by Joanna.

"He was under control. He'd never even yelled at them, even after they destroyed food, glass and bowls. In front of the majority of the Manticorean delegation including our planetary ambassador.

"Actually they ended up looking some insane mixture of food and drink after being thrown into a blender.

"I don't see what's so funny in this situation, Captain. Not at all. I want to know what happened. Exactly what happened. " Oliver's laser scalpel tone sliced into Ken's joking, who steadied himself and restarted the tale as slight popping noises were heard as a treecat's claws poked holes in the officer's clothes.

I took the boys to the main lobby to talk… You know the incident, punishment, their reasons for being there"

"Were you alone?" The short question confused ken.

"I guess so. There may have been some hotel employees or guests walking in and out as we were talking. I'm not sure exactly, I was concentrating on the moment.

"And if I may ask, where were you during their talk?" Oliver's glance zeroed on Joanna, who remained unmoved by the other's woman's searing expression.

"Cleaning up after them. I knew Ken could handle them by himself. I trust him." Joanna broke the stare down to look at her boyfriend. "The second he realized he made a mistake, he went after them. He led the search and he found them. What does that say about him? Running into the cold and rain instead of letting the police do all the work?"

"To you it may seen it may seen he's trying to handle his responsibilities. To others, it looks a person who can't handle it all. Or at least trying to fix his mistakes. Mistakes, I might say, does not make it good for him." A narrowed set of eyes would shredded anyone else did nothing to Oliver, but Ken stopped the silent fight while his eyes twitched between the two women.

"Yeah, I'd admit I lost my temper a little. I was upset at the boys for what they did. I never should have taken it out on them. But I did." Ken's eyes solidified as the uncertainty disappeared and intensity filled them. "But I could never look myself in the mirror again if I did not go after them. As for my responsibilities, they can be burdens but I have taken steps to lessen them."

"How so?" The words dripped wonder and a lesser poison than before.

"I cut my responsibilities with the Foreign Office to allow myself more time here. I pretty much travel within this country mostly to NYC and I can make it back within an hour. For everything else I take phone calls and read and review reports and other things. A lot less stressful. The ambassador understands considering the circumstances. I know my limitations and worked around them."

"I see…" A low grinding screech interrupted her words as the occupants stared at this newcomer.

…..

Ken's mind was empty of all conscious thought as the sight of the woman filling the doorway. Her auburn hair framed her youthful medium toned face. Her gray eyes scanned the room, her expression unreadable.

Almost. He had seen her masks before. The first day he saw her when he was almost 12 years old. Her short auburn hair flickered in the chilly Sphinxian wind. Her gray eyes staring into his tortured soul…

He forced his mind to stop twisting and spinning, staring at the love of his life as she too recognized this woman.

…..

"Excuse me miss…I am afraid you've interrupted a private meeting."

"I apologize for that but I'm afraid I have to be here if only to provide another point of view. My name is Sarah Jane Connelly" The visitor's retort broke Oliver's mask.

"Why? This only involves Captain Myers and his girlfriend here." Gray eyes twitched toward Ken for a second until they returned, accompanied by slow breathing.

"Under most circumstances, you would be correct. But I cannot sit by and watch two boys being taken out of the home where they live. As a mother and as a friend, it would be impossible." Sarah smiled as Oliver caught on to her self-description but she was way ahead of her.

"I am sorry for being rude but you see I've known Ken since we were a little older then the twins."

"So you won't deny you would be biased right now"

"No doubt. But what would cause you to take two children out of school without even telling the people currently responsible for them?" The question was answered by Ken, not Oliver. Sarah turned her head toward her childhood friend.

"I'm under investigation. JAG investigation." The description shocked his fellow Sphinxian. She whipped around toward the speaker.

"For what?" Ken started to answer but Oliver interrupted froze his response.

"He assaulted a man and then another was killed in front of him. By his treecat, it would seem." Joanna butted into the conversation.

"Those actions made sure the twins stayed alive after they ran into some unsavory people." Sarah stared at Joanna for a half-second as her brow lowered in concentration then turned back toward Oliver.

"So you took the kids out of their home because of what I am pretty sure is an unfinished investigation?"

"No, we took Zack and Cody out of the danger they could be in with Ken?" Sarah held back a laugh.

"Really? I doubt that. I've known him for over 30 years. Granted, he has his faults but who doesn't? I mean, he will be neither the first nor the last parent to be annoyed at something their child has done. I can attest to that. Besides, he's only human."

"When I asked him to be my son's godfather, that choice was not taken lightly. I trust him with watching over my son. And to add to that, I know for a fact my son has been around for the last couple months and had no problems. As a matter of fact, he sort of enjoyed it. Granted, being a five star hotel helps…"

"Thanks a whole lot." Sarah smirked at Ken's mock disgust. Oliver steamrolled over the humor.

"I see your point but these two have to be protected. Especially in these unique circumstances." Joanna locked onto the end of the sentence and dragged it out into the conversation.

"This would not be because we are from the Star Kingdom, would it?"

"It has to be factored in but I'm more worried about Ken and you, Ms. Zyrr." Oliver's concentration missed Sarah's s eyebrows raising at Joanna's "last name". The mother bit her lip as the name processed through her mind. Her eyes widened as the final answer revealed itself… Meanwhile the conversation continued.

"You seem to be steady as a rock, which is wonderful. Ken's temper is an issue I'd rather not see but I do see he has tried to decrease the amount of pressure on him. Which is good to see. But one huge issue has me worried, not currently but in the future. As a matter of fact, it almost prevented Ken from becoming a foster parent in the first place." Oliver's final sentence drew massive confusion between the Mantioreans but she answered her own mystery.

"You see Captain, your job in your foreign office along with your off-planet origins offered us a massive problem on trust. As well as stability."

"Stability?" Ken's one word question bared a smile on Oliver's face.

"Movement in your career is common so we are afraid of you being reassigned and leaving us with two kids with no guardian to watch over. I must admit I was more than happy when Joanna showed quite suddenly. It provided more stability to the situation after she took and passed all the requirements and safety tests needed. Still, I can't help but wonder if there would be a major foreign office incident that would force you to make choice between dumping the kids on us, maybe losing everything, or running ." Ken rose to the feared imaginary situation.

"I agree with you about Joanna's presence. She helps more than you know. You don't have me cutting my losses and running for it. Not when it comes to the kids. That would be disgraceful. In any instance we would try everything to keep out of any public fight. They should not be used as weapons in political battles. No point disrupting their lives more than they already have been," Joanna added.

"Besides, even the idea of doing any such thing would anger a lot of certain people back home. Let alone me, I might add." The temperature in the room dropped suddenly but it did not stop Sarah's eyebrows at the mere mention of who Joanna could be talking about. The window behind Oliver darkened. Oliver nodded but a frown wandered onto her face as she started to talk again.

"What if your star nation decides leave this planet? I didn't think you would be allowed to stay under such circumstances. " Oliver turned toward the foster parents but instead her answer rose from Sarah.

"I am pretty sure you will not have to worry about that." Apprehension ceased Oliver's face as Tom's mother continued. "You see, our society is based around a strong monarch who refuses to go back on her word on anything she agrees to. On matters of principle, she does not adhere to opinion polls. If the Star Kingdom were to run and completely sever any connections from the situation, it would damage us in ways that would be irreparable. It would stick to all of us for a very long time, especially the monarch. No offense, but a couple hundred years is a very long time to bear such a burden."

"The phrase 'Our word is our bond' sums it up quite nicely," Joanna added to the conversation and went further. "As for staying, if we had to go in case of emergency or something, it would depend upon the situation. I am sure Ken would be allowed under certain circumstances and gave our people warning. As for myself, the likelihood is not good, unfortunately. I hope that was answered to your satisfaction."

Oliver nibbled on her lip as the seconds passed. The other three occupants and one treecat waited for the Department of Child and Family supervisor's thoughts to piece themselves together. In the empty space of time, one man's brown eyes met anther's gray and smiles were exchanged and quickly forgotten as all refocused on the questioner.

Oliver's eyes closed then opened as the tickling wall clock counted off in monotone.

"Okay…I've decided….I decided Ken you can, for now, keep the twins with you." Ken let a breath he did not know he was holding as the words hit him.

The smile on his face said it all.

"Thank you" A warm smile melted Oliver's stony edifice. Ken and Joanna rose from their seats while allowing Sarah to leave before them. Oliver's words stopped the foster parents before they made it to the door.

"I am going to be honest with you. If the investigation goes against you, my decision might change on the matter."

Joanna responded clearly. "We understand completely if we were in your position." Oliver shook Ken and Joanna's hands and watched them leave her office and glanced at Sarah, who simply nodded back. She sighed, then rubbed her eyes. A stack of open files greeted her as she strolled back to her desk.

**Okay I liked this chapter than I thought I did when I first finished it. A writer is his own worst critic. Anyway the next chapter should be coming at a decent clip. So please read and review. Until next time.**


	27. Look Who's Coming For Dinner

.** Disclaimer: I don't own the Suite Life TV series or the Honor Harrington book series. I would like to thank sol invictus for betaing this.**

"Ken, slow down!" Joanna's voice was ignored by her love as Ken continued to speed walk down the hallways, his eyes scanning the hallways and treecat claws digging into his shoulders with resigned practice.

Shoes followed the beaten path as the princess glided to catch up and watch as Ken turned to his right on a dime and almost walked into the wall. Joanna smirked a little as he continued at the same speed, her eyes passing the tan concrete colored walls and doors with workers' names on them. Her own detail trailing mere inches behind her, she ignored the procedures drilled into her head since she was a little girl.

Her eyes spotted Ken in front of a cracked door. The beam of light a boundary between the man and…Sarah. Her analytical mind pieced apart the scene ignoring any emotional connotations with the picture. Her pace slowed, her presence detected by Ken looking back and an apologetic expression staring back at her with Alexander's unreadable face completing the picture.

Raised eyebrows spoke slightly and Ken answered with placing a finger to his mouth and motioning to the cracked door. Joanna moved forward as all three adults and one furry minion focused their mind on the door's gap. Words were coming inside the room.

…..

"Trust me, things will be fine." Cody stared back at Tom, anxiety showing on his face and in his eyes.

"No, its not. We screwed up." Tom stood back at Cody's minor curse. It was the first time he had heard anything like it from him and his gray eyes fazed over toward the third child in the room. Zack's eyes held no light in them, like he was a condemned prisoner on his way to his death. Action held no meaning to the boy. Tom wondered when dust would start to settle on his classmate and friend. His attempts to talk were not rebuffed; they were ignored as though Zack had dug a hole inside himself and just let himself be buried with the fresh dirt of recent events covering his rotting skeleton.

Tom's sigh should have awakened Zack from his trance but nothing happened. Their friend returned to his more, hopefully, fruitful attempt with Cody.

"I seriously doubt you two could have messed up so badly…" Tom's comment was cut off by Cody's, his knees rising to meet his chin.

"I guess you don't know us very well. We never stayed in one place for very long. We always got into trouble. No one wanted us. They blamed us for the problem. They just dumped us on the next person."

The words ripped into Tom with lethality. The words on his tongue evaporated along with his saliva. He tried to clear his throat but failed to on the first try. His vocal cords fought their weakness and regained their strength. He hesitated, trying to say the right thing but looking lost. Then the briefest of smiles appeared on his face.

"You know Ken will stop not fighting this." Tom shuddered as Cody almost on instinct mocked him. The Manticorean was not even sure if Cody knew he was doing it.

"Ha…he has his own problems. There's an investigation on him for something he did for us. They might even take away his career. Do you want to know what's funny and the worst part? I did not even expect him to do to help us but he did it anyway." Tom's mind jumped to lightspeed with his confusion as Cody's buried his eyes in his knees.

The door behind him creaked and there stood Ken, Joanna and his mom.

…

"Well, there you are…"

Cody's head turned while it was still braced on his knees. Smooshed confusion with misery and tear-drowned eyes completed the face until the adults' presence registered and his head whipped around, blocking the new arrivals while an arm swept across his face.

Joanna said nothing as she watched. Her boyfriend was staring at the boys with an unknown expression. No, not unknown, just too many events going on to be exactly deciphered. Closer to patience and understanding more than anything. But Alexander seemed shrunken with his back bent and his head crushed against Ken's. A left hand rose up to gently but quickly graze as the treecat's pelt.

"What are you doing here?" Ken saw the redness in Cody's eyes and the wet spot on his sleeve. Zack interrupted his observation.

"Are you here to say goodbye?" The question chilled the room. Cody's heavy breathing bounced off the walls. Joanna answered, seeing Ken's hesitation in reacting.

"No, we are not. We are here to take you back to the hotel." Zack looked stunned at the answer as almost as if he accepted he was leaving. Cody's voice wavered as he asked the most obvious questions. Or at least tried to.

"How?...What about?...I mean they said they were taking us away." Ken's mouth twitched upward at Cody's partial incoherence.

"Well, we had a talk with them. They changed their mind and decided to let you stay here with us."

"What about the investigation? It's still out there?" Cody's voice wavered as his lips started to quiver. Ken walked up and lowered himself to the boy's level, placing his hand on the younger brother's shoulder. Ken's eyes caught a twitch from Zack at the motion. The other brother slid to his left to get a better view of the interaction.

"You're right, it is. But there's no point in worrying about that because it, frankly, is out of our control at the moment." Cody tried to rebut the comment but Ken shook his head. "It will be hard but it will come when it comes. All we can do is wait. Okay?"

"Yes."

"So, I presume the both of you want to get out of here as much as I do? If not more..Cody?"

"I don't want to see this place again." The power of Cody's words created a relieved smile from Ken.

"That makes two of us. Zack, how about it?"

"Like a slow healing scab." Zack's oddity shocked Ken but he chuckled,

"A little over-dramatic but effective nonetheless." After smirking at Cody, Ken returned to full height and stretched, Alexander dodging his arms while bleeking in protest.

"Oh stop it, you are not exactly light, you know. Anyone is bound get tired carrying you around like this."

"I got tired just by watching you carry him." Ken looked up to see Sarah's smile and then looked to Joanna.

"Now that this circus is over, I'm all for going home for a quiet night." Ken saw agreement all around including his girlfriend. He waved for the twins to go ahead and the brothers picked their belongings and walked toward the door. Ken followed but stopped in front of Sarah and Tom.

"Thanks to both of you for…well, you know.."

"I thought a relationship of over thirty years would teach you not to expect anything less." Ken's sheepish smile was adjoined with words.

"I was being gracious. Besides, it seems like you brought Tom up right." Sarah's son blushed at the compliment.

"You're embarrassing me..."

"Oh really. Just wait until your mother brings the baby pictures…" Ken snickered.

"Mom! Stop him. I'll die from embarrassment." His plea died as his mother joined in with laughter.

"No you won't, although you will get pretty close. Some things never change…You know, we should get together. To catch up" Ken hesitated then smiled as Alexander's head moved between Sarah, Ken and Joanna with all the kids and armsmen watching and listening.

"I'd like that. When?"

"How about tomorrow tonight? Our place? Around 6?" Ken's neck almost cracked at the speed of his response as he twisted to look at Joanna, his mind wiped clean and his jaw locked closed. He stilled his eye movement and watched as all the boys' eyes volleyed between the three parents.

"Em…okay…I don't have a problem. Sarah?" The auburn haired woman saved him from stuffing his foot in his mouth.

"Sounds great, see you tomorrow then." The group exchange pleasantries and split.

…..

"Why did you thank Tom and his mom back there, anyway?" Zack's direct question pulled Ken back from his view of the modern mosaic he was watching out the window.

"First, because Sarah walked right into our argument with the supervisor in charge of your case and helped persuade her in our favor. Second, as for Tom,…" Ken turned around and looked directly into both twins' eyes as he continued, "he's the one who acted like a spy and told us what happened at school. Without him, you may have been there a lot longer than you were."

"Oh…I see" Zack look at his brother as this knowledge filled them. Cody looked down with remorse clear as day.

"I treated him horribly."

"He'll understand but it would not hurt to apologize." The brothers stared at Ken for a second with speculation at Ken's words while his eyes had returned to his exploration of the outside and ignoring the two armsmen inside the main cabin and the one at the wheel, let alone the unmarked car following right behind them. Until, that was, Joanna spoke plainly with a touch of cheerfulness thrown in.

"It should be an interesting evening tomorrow, don't you think?" She missed Ken's under-his-breath reply.

"Yeah, interesting in the Chinese definition of the term. Damn curse." His memory drudged up the ancient saw 'May you live in interesting times' but changed it to suit the present.

There were two little words Ken was thinking to fit the upcoming dinner. With these two women there along with the kids. Sometimes, even with his less than full faith in a higher power, he wondered if there was one. Now with this, he almost knew there was one, there just had to be. If there was, he sure wanted to play a joke on a certain Queen's officer expense. Damn him.

Oh yes, two little words. So simple but they spoke volumes.

Oh crap.

…..

Alexander's purring could heard in the entire suite as Ken's fingers danced though his cream and gray fur. The TV distracted some of his attention as he waited for time to approach the dinner hour. Cody walked in front of him with two shirts on hangers and a look of concern spread on his face.

"I have no idea of what to wear to dinner." Ken almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the comment but Zack got there first.

"Stop acting like a girl. It's dinner in this suite. It's not even fancy" Cody started to pout at Zack's mockery, which was fired from the kitchen table a few feet away.

"Well at least I care about things. Unlike you!" Ken watched as Zack started to fire back but cut him off as Alexander rose to watch the whole thing.

"Cody...Zack's right about the dinner, not the insults. It's just a simple dinner between friends, that's all. No point about getting huffed up about it. Sarah's not going to care what shirt you are going to be wearing. Trust me. Neither am I."

"Still…" Ken sighed at the boy's persistence. It was admirable. But in this case, annoying too.

"Alright, if you insist, just make sure there are no holes or rips in them, okay?"

"Thanks," Cody turned away but turned back after Ken spoke.

"Just one request, make sure you are wearing clothes to begin with, please." Snickering could be heard from the kitchen.

"You'd think I would forget." Cody ignored his twin.

"You would be surprised at what I have seen." Cody's silence followed him as he walked to the twins' room. Ken's fingers restarted their scratching of Alexander's fur and the room was still only for a few seconds as the adult turned and spoke to the child.

"You need to be careful with what you say to your brother." Zack's words became muffled as he still looked down.

"Come on, it was just something small. He's like that sometimes." A frown creased Ken's face.

"We all have quirks. I am just saying, he's your brother and try to limit picking on him. I know its insatiable sometimes. But there's limits, got it?

"Yeah, yeah." Ken decided he had pushed far enough on the topic especially when Zack was not even looking at him.

"Speaking of your brother, I want you to copy him and get washed up." Zack's head shot at the suggestion, his face explain his objection but the words made it clear.

"But the shirt I am wearing is clean. I mean, no stains, nothing."

"I know, but you've been wearing it all day. It won't hurt to change it quickly, would it?"

"Alright," Ken held in his reaction to Zack's trail of grumbling as he dragged his feet toward his room.

….

Mindless clicking and moaning stood by Ken as he waited for time to pass with one patient and one irritated child.

"You know, changing the channel that quickly does not let us see what's on." Ken looked up at the clock above the flat screen on the wall and his eyes reached out to the sky.

"I am wasting time..." The channel surfing sped up even more. Cody chimed in, his voice edged with annoyance as he rapidly blinked his eyes.

"Okay, now I am about to lose my eyesight from the light flashes. Just please put something on. Anything on."

"_Welcome to Whose line. A show where the points don't matter."_

"I love this show! I love the that game they play with the props." Zack's exuberance rose Ken's eyebrows. Cody saw this and piped in as well.

"The show's not bad. They make up stuff to be funny."

"Improvisational comedy."

"I guess but we..ah..we're not really allowed to watch it sometimes." Cody kept trying to look at Ken's calm neutral face but failed.

"_Time for Scenes from a Hat. We ask the audience for things to act and throw them in the hat and we choose them."_

"Really?...Why?"

Cody turned a little red and started to stutter. Ken let him go.

"There wasn't cursing but sometimes they mentioned some things that well…em…are older" Cody was now completely red while Zack was chuckling at the screen at one of the performers acting like a dog.

"F_amous film scenes performed by cartoon characters…"_

Another performer repeated the same act with the dog bit.

"Well that's not so bad. I mean its actually sort of funny." Ken looked at Cody with a relaxing smile. "I don't know why you are so worried." The boy's color returned to normal and, while he looked like a normal person instead of tomato, he did not smile back.

"_Bad songs to sing in prison…"_

Ken's mental antennae rose at the words.

"_Who dropped the soap? Who dropped the soap?" _Cody sat paralyzed as the words wove their way into the room. Zack cracked up, leaning on the couch's arm for support.

"Jeez, what idiot trips on the soap?" Ken stayed silent on the alternate meaning of the words but leaned over toward his young foster son.

"I see your point. Don't worry, you are not in trouble. Words can be taken in so many directions. Like your brother has, for instance." Cody smiled back as their eyes met and Ken winked.

"_Things you can say to describe your boat but not your girlfriend_." Battle station alarms screams in Ken's hand but his fingers refused to budge. Words and sound trudged on without care.

"_Nice aft" _Zack joined in the crowd with laughter, while Cody remained a stature. With his blood drained from his face. Ken realized this.

"You not the one who's going to be in trouble if she sees this."

"Yeah…haha…better hope Joanna doesn't see this."

"See what?" Ken gulped as he recognized Joanna's voice. He delayed for a second by looking at the twins. Zack was looking anywhere but at the TV to help stop laughing. Cody had bitten down on his shirt. Politeness forced to turn around. Joanna's expression was that of catching a child with his hand in the cookie jar. The show played on.

"_Things you can say about food but not about your girlfriend."_

"This can only go from bad to worse." Ken grimaced as Zack tried to breathe but the next words left Ken breathless.

"_Would you look at the mold on that." _Joanna stared at him. No anger, no rage, nothing. Ken felt so small.

"I hope they will be prevented from watching this until further notice?" Ken killed the TV and swallowed as Alexander climbed his back toward his normal position to watch.

"That's what I was actually trying to do, finding a way to block it."

"I thought so." That same serene look on her face etched from ear to ear. A knock on the door drew the princess's attention and a small smile formed as she looked at the two boys in her life. The smile's light lowered as she stared at Ken. "You look nice. I believe we have company."

….

"So the whole time, I am sitting there, the speaker running his mouth and I am watching the audience drop into a coma one by one. If it wasn't for the fact I was in the delegation I would laughed at loud."

"It's not exactly easy to listen to someone for minutes at a time droning like that. Remember, there was that one teacher..a Mr. Tallavictz. Remember him?" Ken shrugged as he answer Sarah's question.

"Vaguely, but I do remember almost having to hit myself a number of times to make myself stay awake during his history lectures."

"Sounds like one of our teachers. He does the same thing," Zack mentioned while his brother smiled at Sarah.

"Yeah, I would have to kick the back of Zack's chair to make sure he stayed awake." Laughter from Tom lightened the room as Zack stared at his brother who simply shrugged.

"Don't worry, Zack. It was common to hear snoring or see heads on desks during those double session lectures. I still have nightmares about them." Sarah looked at Joanna, who smiled politely.

"Too bad I didn't bring any celery with me." Alexander's head perked up as he stared at Sarah and purred lightly as the woman caressed his head. "I know this one would have wanted some."

"Celery?" Zack asked. Sarah stared at Ken, then back at Zack.

"Celery is like at catnip for a regular cat except they don't digest it very well. Why do I have a feeling a certain someone hide that little tidbit from you?" Ken held up under Sarah's questions as her eyes turned to face him.

"Of course I did not tell them because they might have overfed him with his fix and ruined his appetite. You know the furball can't say no to the stuff." Ken shrugged "It's not like I never give him any. Just not when not when they are around. That's just what I need, a sick treecat."

"Ouch, that hurts." Ken looked at the twins, who seemed a little hurt.

"I'm sorry about that, but he's a living creature. He has to be protected. Even if it is from himself." Twin acceptances returned to him as Ken's mouth twitched as Alexander stared him down.

"Well, I'm done." Joanna threw her napkin on her plate. Sarah matched her move.

"I'm not." Zack said and Cody shook his head at his brother.

"You're never full. What do you want for dessert? Ice cream, cake or perhaps ice cream cake?" Zack perked up at the question. Ken looked at Joanna knowing the question was coming. She nodded.

"Alright, ice cream it is…I am going the street to get it. Who's coming?"

"I'll go" Zack threw in and Cody nodded to say the same while Tom looked at his mom.

"Go"

"You could just order from the kitchen?" Joanna pointed out.

"I know but I needed to walk after dinner and stretch my legs a little." Ken grabbed his jacket as he waited for the boys to get theirs and then opened the door and let the minors out before himself. His last glance into the suite looked between the two women with an apprehensive expression while Alexander's claws secured his position on Ken's left shoulder.

"I'll bring them back." He said with a smile before uneasiness reappeared and closed the door, leaving the women and two armsmen to themselves.

**Okay here's part one of the two part chapter upload. These always get way longer than what I envision when I outline them. Okay, I of course do not own the show I used in the scene. Anyway please read and review and I will upload the next part very soon.**…..


	28. Bonding Over Ice Cream

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Suite Life TV series or the Honor Harrington book series. I would to thank sol invictus for betaing this.**

"He seemed really nervous. And of course he left the dishes." Sarah looked at the closed door and rose as Joanna left the table.

"Yes he was." Joanna picked the dishes up as Sarah followed her into the kitchen with the rest of the used dinnerware.

"You know, there is one thing this planet has taught me. It's appreciation." The women filled the dishwasher and closed the door and turned it on.

"For the finer things in life?"

"Not really, it's more like appreciating what you have now because you might lose it very suddenly."

Joanna paused before answering. "Yes, it's true and it's so easy to forget that. I have realized that ever since I arrived." Joanna's eyes rose slightly as the words slipped out of her but Sarah gave no obvious acknowledgment.

"But it's not. We're the ones who needed to be taught the lesson of humility. We had life prolonging extensions. Advanced vaccines and medical technology and knowledge that can beat almost all diseases. That does not even include space travel. We were surrounded by it. Like it was given to us by destiny or something."

"I think that's a little too strong of a word for it. Something to drink?"

"Yes, please. Water's fine." Sarah smiled thanks as the glass was handed to her and they made their way to the living room couches and sat down. "I am not too sure. Ever since I came here, my viewpoint has widened. Maybe it's because we never experienced the type of widespread struggle this planet has. War, disease, hunger, the list goes on…" Sarah took a sip from her glass while Joanna waited for her to continue.

"We may have to go back to the Kingdom's founding and the plague that wiped out 60 percent of the original population to find a truly serious threat to our survival. Let's be honest, we've had it good compared to here. A hub of intergalactic trade, a stable political system among others. I mean, we've never really had to struggle tremendously in the last couple hundred years."

"I can see that, but a sense of complicity? I doubt certain people would agree with you."

"Like the Queen, your Highness?"

Joanna froze for a split second at the sudden turn but Sarah continued steadily like nothing ever happened.

"Yes I know who you are, your highness. I was shocked to figure it out it was you when I walked in. I mean the security risk…." Sarah rolled the glass in between her hands. The water splashed around but stayed inside. "Using your father's maiden name was what gave you away." Joanna turned her head just enough for eyes to catch Alice Powe, her personal armsman biting down on her lip hard than back at Sarah.

"And I ran into some members of your family at certain functions back home. The House of Winton's look definitely shows in those born into the royal family. Add in the security and it all came together quickly."

The beginnings of a grimace appeared on Joanna's face as the truth hit her. Someone who knew what to look for and had been around members of her family recognized certain characteristics inherent in the family. The Winton chin, the cheekbones, intelligence… The grimace was smothered as Joanna turned around to face Powe.

"I guess we have to add another to our little list?" Powe stared back with an openly unsatisfied expression on her face.

"No disrespect, your Highness, our list is a tad bit longer than I would have liked." Joanna matched her exasperation.

"I know…" Joanna turned back to see Sarah apologetic.

"I did not mean to cause problems, but…" Joanna finished the woman's sentence.

"…You're not the first and I am afraid you will not be the last. Do not worry about it. However, I would ask you to keep that knowledge to yourself." The answer to the answer was straight forward.

"No need to ask. Besides, I do not think Ken would be very happy with me if I somehow blew it. I take it as a matter of pride as a Manticorean." Sarah looked shocked at the smile on Joanna's face. "If I may ask, what's so funny?"

"Ken. I am just imagining the look on his face if he could hear this conversation."

"I can understand that. The one man connection between us…" Joanna's smile flickered as Sarah realized her mistake and did not panic. A few seconds passed...

"Your Highness, can we be honest with each other?"

Joanna's mask shattered at the simple question but answered anyway.

"Considering we each know who the other is, I think we are halfway there." The line brought a smile to Sarah.

"So true. I meant about us. Here we are, one the current girlfriend, the other the best friend sitting in a room alone talking. Both daughters of politics. Both with preconceived notions of how to act and what to expect. One of birth, the other of career. Well, alone except for them of course." Sarah mentioned toward the blood red uniforms of the Queen's Own. "I don't think I could ever get used to being surrounded by security like this."

"Trust me, Ken's still adjusting and he's had two, almost three, years to work through it. That is even after he told me what he was." Sarah's eyebrows rose at the end of the sentence and started to say something then stopped. Joanna put forth a further explanation.

"Yes, he told me all about it. He was a little hesitant at first. I think he was afraid I would him reject later if I did not know. And yes, he was truthful about the depth of your relationship." Gray eyes narrowed after the reveal.

"Yeah, he would do that…Three years, he forgot to mention that. Then again, I guess he was afraid of my reaction." Sarah sighed as she sipped her water."Your Highness, I will not get involved in your relationship with Ken. I care about him too much to do that. He and I had a talk about that years ago. He was extremely adamant."

Joanna's relief leaked into her voice. "I know that and thank you. Ken's is always a little overprotective of other people and their reactions to things and can be stubborn to a fault sometimes" Sarah shook her head.

"Some things never change with him. No matter how old he gets…" Joanna jumped on the opportunity.

"He never talked about his childhood much, did he? Sarah walked slowly into the potential minefield.

"You mean before he came to the Star Kingdom via Beowulf?" Sarah waited for Joanna's confirmation. "No, but there were signs though. Certain opinions given out, his moral code…Stuff like that."

"It's the same with me. He acknowledges it happened. He admits it made him who he is in a way but you have to wonder how much it has changed him. Or least what part of him is his choices and what part is from what those monsters made him. " Joanna's morbid comment drew an icy silence until Sarah's voice broke through.

"A very large part of me does want not to know. It could be out of a fear of knowing. Knowing my best friend may have had no choices at all or knowing the choices he made may have cost him something deeply. Not empathy, he has that…"

"A certain disregard for the rules in certain situations. That wall that stops him from jumping at the first sign…" Joanna suggested. Her opposite shrugged.

"I'm not quite sure exactly. You noticed he has very little tact when it comes to social graces?" The princess nodded with a small smile brimming at her lips.

"More than once. It would not surprise me if that went all the way back somehow. But its not like we can understand what he went through."

"The only ones who can are people who went through it. Thankfully our Star Nation has a lot of experience dealing with this. Bred to do manual labor, sometimes in dangerous situations. Let alone the ones like Ken who were born to vanquish every person's sexual desire. It's plain to see why the Audubon Ballroom does what they do. Of course the assassinations and kidnappings of their former masters and creators is what made us outlaw them in the first place "

"Your comment about Ken's choice is coming to mind right now… " Joanna spat out as she moved over to the other couch on which she was sitting.

"Me too. His choice to join the navy instead of joining in on the revenge killings comes to mind." Sarah did not mention how the lines could be blurred so easily.

"Yes, like other genetic slaves who made the choice to join the Navy after arriving to our beacon of second chances. "

"You know, I noticed one particular choice that affects both of us, Sarah." Ken's best friend looked up at the usage of her name with a quizzical expression. Joanna's warm smile brightened the room.

"His choice of strong women."

"I did not notice until now, thank you. But do you think if its because he needs it or because he needs someone who he knows can endure how he acts?"

Joanna snorted. "I don't know for sure but if I know one thing: It's not going to be boring."

"It never is…Now that we've gotten the nervousness out of the way, should we go back to our original topic: the positives and negatives of this planet?

"Sure, you have an interested audience." Joanna readjusted for the second time and listened as Sarah wondered that particular path.

…..

"It sure is cold in here." Ken and Tom's joint laughter puffed up Cody. But Ken shook his head as he gently squeezed Cody's shoulder.

"Sorry, its just that I've spent a lot of my teenage years in winter and I developed an immunity to the cold, like Alexander here with his thick, multilayered coat. Being surrounded by all these freezers is like a paradise compared to some of those days."

"Wait! Years!?... Ouch!" Zack walked into an open freezer door with his face smooched against the glass. Ken bit his lip as he waited for the boy to regain his senses. Alexander had no restraint and bleeked in laughter. Zack glared at the treecat with watery eyes, who only bleeked again.

Zack's eyes cleared and in his vision was Ken, his worried face filling his entire vision.

"You alright?" The foster father's eyes scanned Zack's face. The boy backed up.

"I'm fine" The words slithered through Zack's gritted teeth and the hand covering his nose.

"If you insist…" Ken backed off with a frown, ignoring the stares of store employees and customers as the foursome stood in the aisle.

"To answer what I believe was going to be your question, I'll keep in simplest terms."

"I'm not stupid, you know!" A level adult voice faced off against Zack's outburst.

"I never said you were but I don't want to go on a 15 minute on the basics of astronomy. Especially not here and now." Ken paused as he waited for Zack to cool off then continued. "When your planet rotates completely the sun, one year has went by…"

"Yeah, I know all the seasons have gone by…" Zack interspersed into the mini-lecture.

"Correct but in Sphinx's case, it takes about 5 of your years to do the same thing. So we end up having very long winters and summers with short springs and falls thrown for good measure."

"So you get a lot of snow then?" Ken chuckled at Zack's question.

"Oh you could say that…" Ken saw Tom's smile in the freezer's glass door's reflection. "We jump straight to measuring meters. Its more efficient that way." Ken looked down at his wristcom.

"Whoa…time flies." He stares at the semi circle of three boys. "Pick something simple. I don't care…" Cody shouted a suggestion.

"Ice cream!"

"That works…Go. We don't much time. All this yapping reminds me of the time I taught at the Naval Academy…" Zack turned around instantly.

"You taught at the Naval Academy?"

Ken answered rapidly, almost tapping his foot the whole time. "Of course, when I was younger. Now hurry up please. I don't want a certain two woman to send a search-and-rescue party after us. It would not look good for me."

Ken missed the amused expressions on the boys at the prospect of the situation as he continued to look at the time on his wristcom. Someone's presence caught his attention.

"I would have thought you would pick out your own stuff, Tom?"

"No, I'll let them choose. Besides, they deserve it after yesterday." Ken nodded in reply and turned to watch as the twins dashed from freezer door to freezer pointing out the different flavors and conversing.

"How are you?" The question drew a prolonged shrug.

"I'm fine considering everything. Except for yesterday. I mean it was close…I can't imagine what it would like to be torn away from everything I knew in no time…At least when I moved here, Mom was right there with me." Tom looked to the ground, biting his lips, his voice wavering. Ken wrapped his arm around his godson's shoulders and squeezed. Tom smiled back and returned a hug to the man. It lasted just a few seconds.

"Thanks, I needed that. Seeing their faces when there were taken from school yesterday…It was like it was expected to them…"

"Come on, I've known you since you were born. Heck, I probably fed you a couple of bottles or helped you go to sleep. You know I am not into that whole guy that swallows his pride and hides his emotion shtick. It's probably one of the stupidest ideas the human race has come up with. I mean seriously…"

"You are lecturing again. You sure the military was your calling? Not a politician or droning professor or one of the telemar—Hey!" Tom jumped back as Ken poked him in his stomach with a matching urchin grin.

"Since when you did develop an attitude, hmm?" Tom could not help but smile at the question.

"Mom blames you completely." The boy laughed at the bewilderment on the officer's face. "And you know, the way I am acting right now, she maybe on something." Double raised eyebrows increased the stakes but Ken's did not attack. He ignored it.

"I missed you too." The daring smile disappeared as Tom moved within arms length of Ken, his mind brimming with questions.

"Why did you stop sending letters? I mean, even when when your commands took you far away the letters made it seem like not so much. But then you go off when we discover this planet and the letters just stop with no reason or explanation." Ken's tried to focus on the twins' movements in their search for sugary delights but instead dwelled on Tom's confusion, anger…and loss kept the temptation at bay as Tom continued unopposed. His voice lowered to below normal volume but still effective. His words struck at Ken's heart

"I waited for them. Do you have any idea how I missed you? Those letters were a lifeline. I know you and Mom aren't together but I needed you even if it was just your words. I love Mom but there were some things I could not tell her.."

"Guy things?" Ken's feeble words stopped the onslaught of emotions for a second as he looked at Tom. Alexander's tail wrapped around his neck while his back bent over. Random people staring at the display of human interaction. Of course, they could been staring at the treecat as well.

"Among other things…I don't remember a time where you were not there for either Mom or me. You're in half the pictures for goodness sake." Tom's reactions even stopped the twins' dessert powwow as they stared at their friend, frozen like the semi-solid delicacies in their grasps. "It's also the reason when I realized it was you Zack and Cody lived with, I hung so much. To make it for lost time."

A beautiful woman stared at Ken, her eyes fixated on him, memorizing him. His model features cemented her feet to the floor. Any other time Ken would have been polite and smiled but not today. No, now he was fixated on the complaints of a 12 year old boy instead of the irritating stares of a woman.

"You're right. I never should have cut you off like that. I was just busy with making contacts and dealing with all the issues of interplanetary relations. We were used to dealing with a mostly unified planet under one government. But here we are dealing with multiple powers and rivalries going back decades, even centuries." Tom tried to intervene but Ken stopped him. "Still, that's no excuse for severing my ties like that." Ken paused before ruffling Tom's hair and went level with his face.

"I'm sorry. I really am. I never realized how much they meant to you. Needed to get it off your chest, huh?"

"Yeah. It's just…" Ken returned to full height and the pair returning to watching the twins barter with each other over flavors while their dialogue persisted.

"I know…Trust me. There are some times where you just need to let off stream. But I do have two questions: Why didn't you say anything when you first saw me in the suite? I certainly recognized you." Tom read Ken's eyes. No pressure, just plain curiosity.

"I did not know how you or mom would react when you both found out…" Relief poured into the auburn haired preteen as Ken refrained calmly. Not even surprised.

"I understand…Don't worry about it. Both of us are fine. Our friendship will not go down the drain because of this." Ken did not see the shifting features in Tom's face.

"And the second question?"

"Did you tell that girl Max or Tapeworm about all this, especially your true identity?" Tom wilted under the question and Ken shook his head.

"Oh boy, you are in deep. You're into dangerous territory here. They've known longer long than Zack and Cody and you never told them?"

"Well.." Tom stopped as Ken's already shaking head.

"Doesn't matter. If you have any belief in your friendship with them, you will tell them. Its unfair to them that the twins know but they don't…" The boy's quick acknowledgment stopped. But Ken switched topics with a much calmer voice after a few seconds and a scratching of Alexander's fur.

"You know, you are allowed to call me Uncle if you feel like it, Thomas. I have no problems with it." Tom twitched at the use of his birth name but a smile erupted as his vision continue to focus straight. His answer was riddled with unmistakable laughter.

"Ah..maybe later…especially you might want to look at what they decided on.." Ken looked in the direction his godson was looking. His eyes bulged, Alexander bleeked, and a stiff wind could have easily knocked him.

Zack walked up two large one gallon tubs of ice creams, one in each hand. His cheeks were puffed as he walked or waddled. Tom laughed as Ken was staring at what was under Zack's arms: Bottles of chocolate and caramel syrup. Anxiety ticked up as Zack continued as the bottles moved under pressure.

Cody's hands were not empty either. But instead of waddling like a duck, his concentration was like a trapeze artist on a rope but with jars and more bottles instead. He had turned his jacket covered slender arms into the weakest foundation for a tower of food ever constructed.

The twins finally reached Ken and Tom with their day and night expression of amusement and exasperation.

"I said something simple."

"It's ice cream.." Zack says innocently. "It can't get much more simple than that. You put it in a bowl, dump the toppings on top, and eat it." Tom and Cody stared at Zack then Ken with amazement, nervousness, and anxiety. But Ken said nothing. He only looked toward Cody.

"Speaking of toppings to compliment mountain of ice cream and the bottles of sauce snug under Zack's procession, we have…" A jar dropped from Cody's arm basket but Ken caught it. Then a can fell into Ken's other open hand.

"Cherries, whipped cream, wet nuts, sprinkles…Cody don't move please…" A boy statue now presented itself in front of Ken, jars and bottles stopped shifting.

"Plus that magic shell that becomes a hard chocolate shell after a few seconds…oh yeah, plus hot fudge…yummy." A look of astonishment covered Ken's face as he looked toward Zack.

"You truly want to be a sugar coma by the end of the night, don't you?" Cody stifled a laugh as the condiments in his fragile grasp started moving again.

"Hey we brought enough for everyone. I was not being greedy…"

"Of course, you brought enough to last the whole weekend…" Ken waved away Zack's response.

"Nevermind, let's just get out of here." Ken reached to grab a plastic basket and put it in front of Cody. "Please put them in there. For everyone's safety." Cody did as he was told while Ken turned to Zack. "The same with the syrups and hand me one of the gallons of ice cream. You will be tired carrying both the whole time."

Zack grumbled but handed one over as his brother grabbed the bottles under his arms. The boy stretched, relieved from all the weight.

"Hey,…" Zack looked to see Tom look at him. "You know he's trying to helpful. Even if he is a little rough about it sometimes." Zack only nodded.

Tom wrapped his arm around Zack's shoulders. Zack stopped suddenly and shrugged, pushing the arm off. He stared at Tom who looked hurt.

"I'm not comfortable with hugging too much..Except for Cody. Maybe."

"I understand. We come from different places. But we are still friends. Friends are there for each other." Zack blushed a little and smiled.

"Thank for ah…yesterday, you know."

"No problem. I know you would do the same for me." Tom held a closed fist in between Zack and himself. Zack looked at it and smiled and bumped with his own.

The two walked out of the aisle as Ken waited for them at the end.

"You know, just so you know, Ken's the emotional huggable type who does care about you."

"I know already."

"Good. Let me carry that for a while. Your arm's about to fall off." The tub of ice cream followed Zack's devilish smile into Tom's waiting arms.

…..

"Zack, slow down…" Zack's spoon moved faster in its flout of Joanna's instructions. The faded blur of metal, milk and chocolate clanked against the bowl. Zack, unaware of the audience watching the show with amazement, disgust and a little embarrassment, continued his drive towards filling his stomach. The quenching of his hunger succeeded…But not without costs.

"Aw…my head hurts…" Zack's head pushed the almost empty bowl forward as he laid his head on his folded hands. Joanna's words were soft but still direct, her sigh and disapproval evident in his congealing mind.

"Zack…I told you to slow down…" the cut off allowed the boy to deal with being the prisoner of his own impulses, hoping the cold would drain from his skull and let him be. Suddenly he felt something up and down his back and it was warm and comforting. He turned his head to his left.

The pain of his headache pushed aside and his vision opened up to see his almost mirror self looking at him. Cody's left arm moving up and down matching the comforting vibrations on his back.

"Its okay. It will go away soon." Zack attempted to smile but the cold threw pain on the attempt and a grimace formed instead. A grimace edged by chocolate lips. Cody smiled as he continued the ministrations against Zack's groans of suffering.

….

The suite's door opened and a green eyed, black haired woman walked in. Cody looked up and smiled.

"Trisha!" Cody leaped from the table, ran over and hugged his case worker. She smiled down and returned the gesture.

"You look wonderful." Cody smiled and watched as Trisha look around the room to find Zack. Who was rubbing his head.

"What happened to you?" Trisha as she moved closer to the table.

"He had too much of a good thing. In this case, ice cream. By the way, hello." A smirk marked her face to Ken's words. Alexander grazing at her, his head inches from Ken's as he laid on the back of the chair.

"Of course…" Trisha leaned down to Zack's side and whispered. "Was it worth it?"

A giddy smile was all she needed…that and a couple napkins. She offered them to the child.

"You have chocolate all over your face." Zack went cross eyed as he looked down. Ignoring the napkins, he simply wiped his face on his sleeve. Which drew an eye roll from Joanna and a chuckle from Ken. The fourth adult at the table drew her attention.

"You're Mrs. Connelly, I presume?"

A stunned Sarah answered.

"Yes I am. This is my son, Tom. He goes to the same school as the twins." Her son and Trisha exchanged polite greetings.

"I hoped you were with the way my boss described you from yesterday. I think you turned the tide on the decision, if you want my opinion."

"Thank you" Sarah looked at the wall clock and looked toward Tom. "Time to go."

"Okay. Thanks for dinner, it was good." Ken smiled.

"Yeah well, I am still improving. Before now, it was like forever since I had to cook for myself."

"Life's a learning experience." Joanna gave back to him, which he accepted and watched as their dinner guests left.

In the meantime, as for you two, it's time for bed…" Zack started to complain.

"But its not even eight yet..Could you please let us stay up a little longer? Please?" Zack's eyes took on their puppy dog look but Ken only smiled defiantly.

"Nice try, but it's been a long last couple of days. We'll need our sleep, especially you. We'll be in to check in on you in a little while." Zack recognized a lost cause. The brothers looked toward Joanna, who simply nodded and made a short shooing motion. The twins turned and walked to their room.

"So how are they?" Ken turned away from the closed door toward Trisha.

"They are resilient. But its not surprising with their background. Sit sill it worries me a little on some levels…" Ken waved away the thoughts after seeing the women's probing glances. Joanna spoke to Trisha Cunningham, princess to foster case worker.

"They are better than they were. It's the little steps, you know. The schoolwork, being here on time, all together for dinner, making friends. But yesterday stopped it…" Trisha motioned to Zack's chair. Joanna okayed it and the woman moved the chair to the end of the table to get a full view of both foster parents.

"I'm here to apologize for yesterday. I did not even know my department was doing a full investigation. The twins were pulled from school without my knowledge. I did not even know about it until after you left with them. It's like they wanted to pull the wool over my eyes." Trisha's energy surprised both parents but Joanna reacted first.

"They were doing jobs, which is protecting the twins from harm…" Trisha's outburst cut off Joanna., not caring one tiny bit about the shattering of protocol. Of course this was a woman who knew about Joanna's true background and kept the true depth of it from being in the files.

"I realize that, Joanna. It's just that I feel I got stabbed in the back. I feel like an idiot for not seeing it."

"Trisha, stop berating yourself up about it. What's done is done now. I don't blame you for it." Joanna agreed with her boyfriend then continued.

"You are clearly in an under-appreciated, overstressed and overworked position. You clearly care about the twins but beating yourself up over their single case will wear you down and prevent you from helping others to the best of your abilities."

"Thank you, Joanna. I feel after letting that out." Trisha paused before asking another question. "How are they with the counseling? Any improvements?"

"Piecemeal. Cody is getting better gradually. He's a little more open and comfortable but that could be because he's around his brother again and time has passed. As for Zack, I don't know for sure. He's like a normal child but I've not seen any of his artwork Claire Fletcher, the counselor, said he could do to help get through it."

"He could be hiding the artwork from us, only showing Ms. Fletcher? I mean they are his thoughts and feelings. Maybe he just needs more time to figure them out." Joanna's suggestions brought a frown to Ken's face.

"Yeah, I know. I just don't like it. Still…" Ken smiled. "He copped an attitude with me twice today. Something I don't think he's done before. And not in a joking manner."

"Are you sure?" Trisha was a little taken back by the comment, which Ken replied quickly.

"Yes, definitely. Something's changed. Maybe he's grown to trust me. I'm not sure but I liked it. It's better than the barely responsive, cold person he was when I first met him. A lot better."

"And the investigation?" Cunningham's query killed Ken's upbeat mood as he looked at Joanna and sighed.

"We don't really know anything. We are in the dark on it. We figure it's still active or we would heard something about it by now.

"So all you can do is wait." Ken snorted as Alexander rubbed his head into Ken's neck and realization set in on how things were not truly in their control.

"Yep, all we can do is wait. Wait and hope for the best." The three adults looked at each other and their shared helplessness.

**And there's part two. Please read and review. Whatever opinions you have I wouldn't mind hearing about them. Oh by the way, the reason for the split was the final draft came over 8000 words. I figured not everyone would want to read all that in a single sitting.**

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	29. The Hanging Sword

**Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life or Honor Harrington Book Series. I would like to thank Sol Invictus for betaing this.**

The hand turned the door handle and the lightened crack widened. The hand's owner fought off his morning sleepiness. It was like an unwanted companion with the ankle weights of endless nights and nightmares. Voices reach his muted hearing and he froze as their conversation kicked started his attention span.

"You know we are making some progress with the boys but I hate the fact it's not moving faster…" A woman's voice, Joanna, answered back, her softer tone soothing to the silent listener.

"We both knew the process was going to be slow. I mean I am a first-time mother here. It does not help the fact we have both fallen into an unusual situation with the twins. The way they have fallen into our laps like this." Sweat fell on the door handle as the spy turned his ear toward the slit between the door and the frame. Joanna's voice continued. "The challenge has been worthwhile for me to grow anyways."

"Even if the challenge has been made worse by two idiots who got a kick off kidnapping for profit?" Color drained from the boy's face as morbid curiosity made him continue to listen to the adults.

"It takes a lot for you to get rid of a grudge?" A loud sigh reached even to the shadowy figure inside the bedroom.

"Wouldn't you if the targets of this particular grudge caused you to have more difficulties in creating relationships with a child? Or should I say make it so that it's almost impossible? Like trying to walk through quicksand or defeat gravity?"

The boy almost poked his head out the door in his effort to hear but Joanna did not answer. At least not directly…

"I would have to be in your situation to find out the answer to be honest. I understand political grudges …but I can see why you would believe that. "

"Especially since the children seemed to take to you more easily than me. " Neither adult saw the shagging of their hidden audience's shoulders as these words hit him.

"But it seemed to me they are coming around, especially when they went to get ice cream with you so easily. That's something to be thankful for. Small steps…if it's one thing I've learned from my experiences as a child is that parenting is not easy."

"You're right, Joanna. I guess I expected too much… I mean I did protect them. Maybe I expected them to be completely natural with me after that."

"That may be true but I'd rather have someone put everything into it than do nothing and expect it to handed to them."

"Good because I intend to go full throttle on this. Expect nothing less. That includes protecting anyone and anything I care about…May heaven help anyone who tries to hurt either of the boys again, that's all I'll say about that."

"But Ken, your few words mean a lot, but actions mean more. And yours could fill a book."

"I know that, and I have no excuses considering my conscience would not be the same if I did not do those things. Hence why I have no problems with any of them. Whether it's executing the death penalty sentence from Charwell Convention on anyone connected to genetic slavery or the same penalty for piracy or even protecting two kids from the darkness, so be it. At least I will be able to sleep knowing where I stand."

"Even if your career is in tatters?

"I know you will understand when I say this. Sometimes there are things bigger than oneself that need to be stood for. Things that need to be said, if only for people to know where you stand and why you did it. Besides, I have enough time in life to build another career, another life."

The single human audience backed away from the door as thoughts started to rise but Ken's voice provided the distraction.

"I just wish what I have done for them allows the boys to see how much I care for them." Joanna answered back.

"I'm sure they do. I have no doubt in some ways they do. But maybe they have difficulty saying it." The sound of coffee and tea cups moved. Then Joanna spoke up.

"It seems Alexander is restless."

"It would." Ken stopped and the pitter-pattering of something distracted him. "…seem so…Hey stop trying to crawl over me, furball! Something's got him riled up. I wonder what it could be…? Oh well, settle down, you..."

"Bleek!"

"…The kids are trying to sleep…"

The door closed slightly as the conversation died and the boy sat back on his bed as he waited for his brother to be finished in the bathroom. The sound of water hitting skin and tile surrounding him as the sun rose to greet him.

….

"Good morning, Captain…" The simple three word pleasantry shattered the warm morning. Ken moved aside to let not one but two women into the suite, neither his girlfriend who was in their bedroom, or any member of her security.

Of course the picture revealed itself almost immediately… Colonel Carla Singleward joined this second female Marine in the suite.

All this was automatic to Ken as he led the pair over toward one of the couches and they all sat down. He looked up to see Joanna walk into the room. Her eyes swept the situation and said nothing. All Joanna did was bring drinks to the gathering and sat down. Ken started the conversation as Alexander settled down on the couch's back, his dark green eyes staring the newcomers.

"Well here we are…" were the man's first words beyond simple pleasantries.

Singleward only nodded in reply but motioned to the female officer next to her.

"This is Colonel Reyna Valencia." Ken noticed the staff braid hanging from her shoulder. Ken stopped his mind from wondering as he failed to read the unit designation patch on her left shoulder but his focus stayed on the introduction.

"She was assigned as liaison to the investigation back home and actually read the final report. She decided to deliver the results and decisions related to the final investigation." Ken felt a chill walk up his spine as Valencia started to speak. Her crystalline blue eyes were in control of the room.

"Thank you, Colonel. Well Captain, it's unfortunate we have to meet under these circumstances. But it happens. " Her eyes stayed on Ken except for a small wobble in Joanna's direction… "Down to the business. I'll be upfront with you, what you did caused a lot of discussion back home. When a founding member of our diplomatic corps for this planet, one whose ship was part of the first units assigned to this system, is involved in a fight where there are casualties and one man dies as a result, questions will mostly definitely be raised. Questions asked at certain levels of the military and civilian authority of a man who made considerable inroads with leaders on this planet." Joanna stopped the woman's speech.

"Obviously the navy gave this its full attention with the three weeks spent on this, but why did it take so long to finish? I mean I understand the thoroughness considering Ken's actions, I applaud it. But with the Wormhole Junction Termini just 12 hours out from this planet, it would take a little more than a day to reach the admiralty…." Valencia realized where Joanna was heading and quickly took over from the princess left off.

"There were circumstances which forced a lot of people to look at this from all sides…" Ken interrupted her, bringing on aggravation onto her face.

"Who are we talking about, exactly?" Ken's mind sped up as the possibilities named themselves in his head. The speed matched the near- instantaneous amount of time it would take to travel from the Star Kingdom to this system using the Manticore Wormhole Junction. One which linked the star system they were in directly to the Star Kingdom.

"I am assigned to the staff of Admiral Sir Lucian Cortez, sir." Ken did not need to hear further description of Cortez. The Fifth Space Lord of the Admiralty. The miracle worker dealing with the Byzantine-like manpower needs of the ever expanding Navy and the Marines. The Judge Advocate General's office also happened to fall under his purview of responsibility. Ken bit his lip as his face tightened at the woman's next statement. A certain part of him noticed Joanna's face turn to stone as well.

"There was sent a copy of the final investigation report to the offices of Admiral James Webster and Sir Edward Janacek." The mention of the First Space Lord, the most senior uniformed naval officer and the First Lord of the Admiralty, his civilian opposite (who happened to be a retired admiral himself) chilled the room to almost zero degrees Kelvin. Ken did not bother to turn toward Joanna. He knew without a doubt where her thoughts were going….

If the civilian head of the military (who just happens to be a member of the government and a card carrying member of the Conservative association to boot) was interested in the investigation , it meant well… everything. That means by not so sheer happenstance, pure logical thought (and professional and personal sanity and well-being too), the report would up getting to a certain person by com call, word of mouth or by old fashioned paper copy. After all, the Star Kingdom did have a constitutional monarchy…

Valencia continued as if nothing she said meant anything. But of course, she knew that to be completely opposite as her eyes turned from Ken to Joanna then back to Ken in a matter of a few seconds. Her strawberry blond hair tied in a bun did not move an inch.

"But the report is not the reason I am here. It's the consequences from which resulted from the investigation's report." Her words brought back Ken and Joanna's memories of the constant questioning from the investigators, thankfully done during the day to avoid the twins noticing and always answered as truthfully and as in depth as they could. That is except for Ken and his desire to hide one not so little thing….

"The investigation started a board of inquiry to look over the incident." Valencia sipped her water as she paused, still looking at the couple. She missed a treecat's tail wrap itself around Ken's neck while it moved slightly closer to him but Colonel Singlewald did not. Singlewald's eyes narrowed in response. After all, a board of inquiry was one step from a potential court martial…

"The board of inquiry viewed the investigation's findings and decided on its ruling and suggested an appropriate course of action." Valencia's voice sounded like thunder in the quiet room. One occupant not realizing he was holding his breath. "The Admiralty in the end decided to accept the board's decision and ruling one hundred percent."

The information smacked Ken in the face as he sat still wondering…How did he not know the board of inquiry? Then it hit him. He was worried about the twin's progress, North Hollow showing up, Tom and Sarah and his relationship with Joanna that things sneaked past him. Added to the fact he had not been to an R and D meeting since before the investigation began, let alone been involved in any substantial talks with any world leader. He was so stupid, it was so obvious. He would have done the same thing in their place. After all, why would you have anyone who was being looked at for a crime be anywhere near anything important? Granted, he still wrote the constant reports for people back on local conditions and reactions. But that's it. There was no major naval contact at all. None….

"The board decided, not after discussions over some information we found out on our own after interviewing all people involved including the Marines, that you will not be charged for the death of the man in the incident…" Memories of a blood geyser shadowed Ken's eyes as light popping sounds echoed around the room but Valencia moved on.

"The vote was 2-1 on this decision. Your treecat, Alexander, was the ultimate killer of this man even though you were engaged in hand to hand combat with him. His claws killed him, not you. The board considered the treecat's legal responsibility with help from scholars and the Sphinxian Forestry Service. Their protected status under the Constitution's Ninth Amendment and the creature's childlike legal status did factor into their decision to decide to not charge Alexander for its action. It boiled down to an act of self-defense to keep his adopted human from potential harm. "

A palpable sense of relief streamed into the room from the outside as the open windows breathed a light breeze into the suite. Joanna looked at Ken and saw the huge weight (bigger than a treecat) lift off his shoulders.

"The board was unanimous in its decision to charge for your aggravated assault on the leader of this gang. Specifically your crippling strike on his knee and your punch to his face…" The words brought back raging anger chained by the ice armor of combat.

"You, Captain, assaulted the man after the civilians were pulled out and the rest of the gang was handled. He was on the ground and unarmed, according to your own recounting and others to the investigation. There was no further threat…" Ken remembered that all too well. The hours of asking every detail of that night over days especially his own actions. "Your actions show a lack of self control for your actions and emotions, which is not exactly attributes the Navy likes in its captains. Officers they expect to be exhibit clear judgment and decision making when the situation calls for it…"

Alexander's head buried itself into Ken's shoulder as the humans endured Valencia's diatribe.

"As a result of that, the board decided a ruling…" The rope to the Sword of Damocles frayed as the words shot from Valencia's mouth, Zeus's thunderbolts striking into the background.

"Effective immediately, you are suspended without pay until further notice. You're beached Captain…" the sword missed cutting Ken's head off but only by mere centimeters. "This entire event will be put into your permanent record. The Navy cannot simply throw this away, no matter the circumstances or intentions." Valencia turned completely toward Joanna as she finished. They stayed frozen until they closed with a silent sigh falling from the woman's mouth. "As for the Foreign office, what happens to you is up to them."

Valencia grabbed her beret as it laid on the couch's arm and rose.

"We're done here." Her eyes stayed on Ken, who did not move a muscle since the sentence dropped. Valencia turned and walked toward the door, Singleward behind her a couple strides. The door opened and the pair walked out, leaving the couple alone. Joanna watched them go then turned to the now denigrated Queen's officer. Her face revealed relief, sorrow and resignation. Only to follow the two marines out the door.

…

A frown creased her mouth as she stared at the scene, her arms folded across her chest. The stress of recent events tightening her neck. She leaned back against the shut door and rubbed her neck, willing the troublesome knots away.

He was still sitting there.

Ken.

But now Alexander had crawled into his lap and was lightly tapping his cheek to get his attention. Until something clicked and Ken caressed the treecat's pelt until the animal calmed down. He looked up to see Joanna, arms still folded, staring at him with a most cross look on her face. He swallowed…

"It was all for nothing. All…for nothing." Joanna's tone was cut glass, piercing the suite's newfound quiet. Ken swallowed as both he and Alexander stared at the princess as she shook her head and rolled her eyes toward the heavens, exasperation evident in its glory.

"All that work of trying to protect me and it went straight down the tubes… It did not even matter in the end. Not one bit" Joanna paced back and forth drumming her fingers on her arm. "I don't know if I should be relieved that it appears we might have dodged the…what's the phrase?...Oh yes...bullet." Treecat and human flinched at the heat coming from the woman. A volcano with enough pressure to erupt…. "Or on the other hand, be annoyed at myself for letting you even think about doing it anyway." Ken weathered the tempest and tried his luck as Alexander slithered closer to his gut for support.

"I am…" Ken shifted gears. "Can I ask why it did not matter? And was I not allowed to testify in front of the board? I am allowed." Joanna looked at her boyfriend as she contemplated the simple questions. She revealed what she knew, its obviousness as plain as vanilla ice cream.

"They only cared about what YOU did, not me. As for your testifying in court, the board and the persecurator reviewed all the hours of interviews we both gave and decided since we had counsel there with us, what we gave was enough and let the matter pass. " Ken revolted at the end but Joanna stopped him. "Wait…All the parties including the three members of the board decided it would be unnecessary at the time for you to return to testify especially after the rigorous interviews we both had. You could always appeal or file a complaint with the decision." Ken calmed down with the last sentence.

"Here I was… a side note, a non factor." A smile played at Joanna's lips. She looked up at Ken and his raised eyebrows. She shrugged.

"There's always a first time." Ken's retort forced the brimming smile to Joanna's surface. The room warmed then lowered to normal as Ken moved forward as Joanna sat down and Alexander relaxed.

"It was found out when they backtracked all the communications around that time period between everyone involved. The Marine installation logged my call into the system and traced it."

"You make it sound so simple. I mean finding out could be a security risk…"

"And hiding it would not be any better. Not at the expense of others' careers. Ones which they were only doing their jobs." Ken shut up at Joanna's comeback, only to slowly nod his head in agreement. Joanna quickly added something.

"By the way, none of the Marines involved are in trouble. There might be a mention of this in their personnel file to the extent of their involvement but that's it. No permanent harm."

"Good, considering they were following my orders and protecting my backside. That's what I was afraid of. People getting in trouble for my choices and mistakes would be an injustice." Ken glanced at Joanna as his fingers continue to drum Alexander's fur, who looked back and stared at his adopted human. Ken saw Joanna acknowledge the comment and remembered how natural it could be for her to be talking about military affairs. That brought a sense of comfort knowing she sucked in the knowledge from her father, the former Army scientist and her Uncle Micheal, still active in the navy.

Of course that comfort did not make it any easier on what he did next.

"I'm sorry for being so pigheaded about everything….it's just..."

"You being you. We all have our moments, including me." Ken nodded at her own apology. "There are times where you drive me insane, I admit. I wish you used your head more than your heart but at least you are honest with yourself."

"Good for me because I have something to tell you right now. I have been keeping something from you."

"Something planet-shattering?" Ken shrugged and Joanna motioned for him to go on.

"Well, it has to do with furball here." Alexander rubbed against Ken's knee as the words reached him. "To cut to the truth, he's an empath." Ken waited but no shock appeared on the princess' face, not one raised eyebrow, but she did reply.

"Well he has his own fair share of secrets, doesn't he? " The question stunned Ken. His hand froze as his eyebrows reached his hairline but then his brain rebooted.

"How do you…Oh nevermind…" A snort emphasized Ken's reaction with the situation and the smile building on his face as Joanna grinned.

"Do you think I would not have noticed something about his kind? Especially since Mom and Dad were each adopted by one before I was born. "

"Well I feel like an idiot…" Ken looked to see Joanna looking at him with narrowed eyes. "The same thoughts and through my head and I waved them off. A fool's choice as it would seem."

Joanna paused but decided to skip the matter.

"Why now? I presume the adaptation bond has to do with his empathy?" Ken bit his lip as he contemplated what to tell her.

"I suppose I have been hiding long enough. Or should I say longer than I should have considering what you already know." Ken felt winded with everything that has gone on and now this…but he pushed on, his awareness of his relationship with Joanna occupying his mind. But suddenly he felt relaxed as his worrying was pushed to the side or at least weakened by love. Ken returned the favor…

"The bond as it is, is hard to explain…But I suppose it's a like a balancing act sometimes. The empathetic bond goes both ways for us. We try to keep an even keel. But strong emotions tend to overtake this harmony." Joanna did not need any reminder of what Ken was referring too.

"I know what you mean, I remember Mom getting annoyed at things and I would see Ariel reacting in some fashion and Mom would calm down a little bit. I can see why you describe it like that. And why you would try to hide it this little attribute of his." Ken opened his mouth then stopped as his mind filled with what she was not saying. About what could happen if the empathy would ever get out in public. The impact would be massive… Especially the human race has tried and failed to develop empathy in itself.

"But you know, I do have one rule with him. And he does not like it. Actually he hates it." Ken did not stop to see Joanna's curious expression. "I told him he could never expose other people emotions to me through him…I feel his reaction to them but not the actual's speaker's feelings."

"Good thing he's unable to read human minds…" Ken laughed at the suggestion.

"Wholeheartedly. That little talent would driven us both to drink pretty quickly." Joanna joined in the laughter.

"Ariel would agreed with you considering how he had to deal with Mom as she was still growing after she was adopted. "

"Good thing I was an adult when he came along but he makes his opinions very well known." Joanna understood the officer's point as she looked at the creature who was compared to a dolphin on the intelligence scale.

"We have to tell the twins eventually about him and everything that has happened…" Ken accepted the suggestion but with darkened eyes. "I know…" Alexander's flattened ears startled Joanna.

"What is it?"

"Alexander detected something from them. The twins. Something dark, maybe even painful. I can't be sure exactly what it is. From what I could get from him with his inability to speak human words, whatever it was, it has been gnawing at one of them. "

"Well they have been though a lot, so that's to be expected."

Ken understood what she meant but... "Whatever this is,I think it's something that's affects both of them."

"I hope you-both of you-are wrong in this."

"So are we…" Ken felt the weight of this mystery increased the weight of the world on each of their shoulders. Was it too much? Another problem inserted in his mind.

"Em…what about the foster agency?" Joanna looked back matching his worry.

"I'm not sure. It all depends on how they interpret the news. But I think it's about even."

"That's what I was afraid of…" Joanna moved to sit next to him. Alexander moved to lay across both laps as the brown eyed, black haired princess settled down. Both humans smiled at the treecat's effort. But stayed quiet as the silence surrounded them. The bumps in their road were visible. But they wondered: what form would they take?

**Okay this took way longer than expected due to research needed and good old fashioned writing issues. But in the end, I felt the time was needed with everything here.**

**Oh yes I realize there might be something wrong with the way certain legal things worked out with the way Ken's board of inquiry worked out. But the truth is I really did not want to go through the whole blasted legal process with that. One, I have very little personal experience. Two its hard to make it exciting… So yeah that's why.**

**Please read and review. If you have any questions, feel free to PM me with them.**


	30. The Gravity of the Situation

**I do not own the Suite Life or Honor Harrington Series. I would to thank Sol Invictus for betaing this.**

Chapter 30-The gravity of the situation

"You two seem to be happier than usual today." Zack and Cody looked toward Max as the group walked in downtown Boston. The brothers looked at each other for a split second then Cody answered after biting his bottom lip.

"Well, some stuff has been going that has been causing problems…" Cody hesitated but Tom continued for him.

"Let me guess, those problems have gone away?" Cody stared at Tom, who wore no obvious expression but his tone suggested otherwise. Both friends stared at each other for one second too long and Cody shook himself.

"I hope so." Cody smiled at Max and Tapeworm who stood waiting.

"Well, you slowpokes, we are wasting away let's do something…" Zack's exuberance brought smiles to everyone's faces. "Just no shopping…" Zack looked around and saw no argument. "Good…" he turned to walk away from the group. "You know…at least I know we never have to visit the women's section…"

The other males looked at each other with Cody finally groaning.

"Zack…" Tom and Tapeworm shared nervous expressions.

"Does he even realize what he said?"

"I don't think so….Definitely not." Tom's eyes moved toward the lone girl whose face revealed narrowed eyes and a hardened expression. Her presence decreased by Max's shuffling speed walking on a direct line for Zack.

"Here we go again…." Cody looked over to see anxiety on the Manticoran's face as the trio walked down the street passing storefront windows.

"What do you mean?" Tapeworm jogged ahead to catch up to Max. Cody watched as the tomboy looked at Tapeworm as he touched her arm and smiled and said something. Then she almost shivered as she glared back at him. Cody felt small under her eyes until he realized she was not looking at him….And turned to look at Tom. Whose granite face stared back the Medusan glare.

"Am I missing something?" Cody asked as his eyes darted between his friends until Max turned around and he looked back at Tom.

"I just told them I am Manticoran…" Cody paused until his mind latched onto one specific word and kicked him into overdrive.

"What do you mean you _just_told them!" Cody's shouting turned heads lncluding Max's and Tape's. Even Zack turned around at his brother's elevated tone.

Tom panicked.

"Will you quiet down already? Would you like the whole universe to hear you?" Cody deflated as Tom quickly looked around. Most had gone about their business. Except Max and Tape. Who were clearly interested with Zack coming to join them, his curiosity piqued.

"Sorry…" Cody's hushed tone still held some anger and confusion. "I expected you to have told them already…Why did you not tell them before us? I mean, you knew them way before we did."

A shadow of a smile flickered on Tom's face before he looked at Cody. "Ken said the same thing when I told it about while you two were getting ice cream." The sudden change stunned Cody and he went silent. But not for long as Tom answered him in a calm, almost relaxed, voice.

"Think about this. You're the new kid in a school. No friends, no family nearby. Just you and your mom. Tom watched as Cody's eyes darkened but continued to look at him. "Not exactly easy, huh?" Cody could only nod in reply.

Footsteps reached Tom's eyes but he ignored it. But not Cody. He looked over Tom's shoulder and watched as their three friends moved closer to them. Within a few feet. Within hearing range….

"Now after you add on all the normal problems of being a kid, let's imagine saying you were from another civilization, another world..." Tom let the suggestion simmer inside everyone's head as he sees the others in front of Cody as the inquisitor turns around behind his subject. He pays them no obvious attention. Not at first glance.

"You see, I never wanted the attention that would come." Tom looked toward the threesome watching the spectacle. "All the questions, the pressure, especially since I came to Boston so soon after the Star Kingdom went public. I would have hated it. A lot would wanted to become my "friend" just because of where I came. " Tom stopped and looked at each of his friends then continued. "Or deal with the idiots and jerks we have to deal with everyday. The ones that call you a geek, a nerd, maggot or freak show. I just did not want to deal with that crap…" Tom lowered his shoulders as befuddlement spread among his companions as the crowd around swerved and split around to avoid this human impediment.

"Jeez…I'm sorry everyone." For a few seconds, the world seemed quieter as if it wanted to hearing everything. A quiet female voice answered back.

"It's…not …all your fault. I just blew you off. I mean… I…" Tom cut her off gently.

"I get it Max…We okay Tapeworm?"

"Yeah, we're cool. I'm sorry too." Tom turned to Cody, who blushed slightly as Tom put his hands on the twin's shoulders.

"I apologize for taking it out on you. You were right to ask and I was wrong to take the hit." Cody smiled in return.

"It's okay. It's what friends do for each other sometimes." Zack butted in loudly.

"Can we please move from the mushiness? Time's a wasting here."

"Stop being so pushy, the sun is still up. Sheesh! It's amazing Cody can stand you." Max drew no answer from the aforementioned brother as Zack just walked off and the others just followed. The gang walked down the street until the colors green and black caught their eyes and Zack stopped dead and pointed out the obvious.

"Hey, guys it's the Marines." The rest followed where Zack motioned and there were four all dressed in their uniforms sticking out with the civilians around them.

"Look at the people. They're scattering like crazy." A chuckle ran through the group as the uniformed marines simply, casually, walked down the sidewalk. People stared at their backs as they passed, enamored or annoyed.

"It's not like anyone going to mess with them, but why walk around in uniform?" The group pondered the question. But Cody answered, shoulders shrugged as they walked in the same direction as the Marines. Zack's face twisted in concentration.

"Don't know, maybe they came from a meeting?" Zack sidestepped his brother's comment.

"They just went into that building. Wanna see what they're doing?" His friends answered with silence mixed with astonishment as Zack turned to see them stop behind him. Max put hers into words into a well-lighted alleyway's entrance.

"Are you crazy? Did you see how big they are. They are…like HUGE!" Zack laughed her off.

"I never said we had to meet them, I said I only wanted to see what they were doing."

"How?" Cody detected that voice and expression before and Zack pointed up. Eyes caught sight of a ladder raised from the street connected to a landing of the building the Marines walked into…

"Okay genius, how do you expect to get up there? The ladder is too high for even Tapeworm to reach…" Max's challenge was cut short as Zack wiggled onto a closed dumpster next to the raised ladder and stood. Tom's siren voice called out.

"You know, we really could have just asked them to let us go in. I mean, what's the worst thing they can do? Say no?" Cody reached out to his brother.

"C'mon Zack, you don't have to do this…" Zack stopped him before he finished, the older brother staring directly into his soul.

"Yes I do. I want to do this." Brothers' eyes locked onto each other as Zack continued. "You know when you want to do something or have something so badly, its hurts. Then it passes you by?" Cody paled but kept his eyes on Zack as the words hit home.

"Yeah, I do. I really do." The twins smiled at each other until the dare devil looked up at the ladder than back at his brother.

"Right now I want to see this. I want to know what they are like. It might be fun. Are you with me or not, Codes?"

The question drove Cody to conflict. His mind was torn between his brother's desires and his own. He closed himself off from the outside, zeroed out his friends' questioning stares as the possibilities strolled through his mind. But there were two overriding factors: his brother's determination (or stubbornness) and the glint he saw in his eyes. Something he had not seen in a long time…

"Yeah, I'm with you." His friends stared at him. "Just be careful." Zack's old cocky smile shined.

"Hey it's me." Cody shook his head as Zack prepped himself by wiping his hands on his jacket and pants. Cody turned to looks of turmoil from his friends as the words "That's what I'm afraid of" left his mouth in a whisper.

"What did you expect me to do? " Max and Tapeworm looked back in shock but Tom was contemplative as his eyes watched Zack.

….

_Damn heart, stop pounding…. _A spurt of anger surged through him. He willed his body to listen to him but his heart rejected the order. His slow breathing fought the rebel organ until its chains were reinforced. He hated it when he was betrayed. Whether it by body, soul or mind, a little piece of him disappeared every time. His saliva felt like cyanide as it fell down his throat, murdering his poise.

_Not again, I refuse to be beaten…_

The flame of reclamation melted the shakiness inside. But it would always be there. Waiting, watching for a chance to strike. Flux. It had before and he knew it would again. His life was full of unrest. New living places (_never homes_), new caretakers (_never parents_), new room sharers _(never siblings)._

His eyes opened as his focus looked on one alone. The cornerstone center in his life. Cody. His edifice cracked and fell after the cornerstone was stolen. It suffered constant bombardment until the skeleton reminded. Bolts and supports stolen until a gentle wind blew him over. He waited to rust away, disappearing. To be thrown away or melted. But no he had survived.

But the weakness remained as did the emotional barrenness. Only hopelessness and sadness remained, no matter what they tried. They never knew…they could never know. His self-hatred spun him deeper as he only sunk deeper and deeper.

Hope. The glorious yet dangerous rope. The sole way out but broken hope sinks you forever. A timeless darkness.

His hope frayed and stretched but held with the few strands but it left him with the weakness still. It still ate at him. Telling him he was worthless, pathetic, uncared for, but Cody was the foundation against it. The cornerstone returned once lost and his walls began to reform as he tried to protect and hide the damage done before. A perfect strike could still end him.

Achievement would be the perfect first step for his plan of protection. From himself, from the weakness…

He looked at the ladder, took a few steps back and leaped toward the prize.

…..

Zack's fingers wrapped themselves around the lowest rung. He looked down toward his friends and smiled triumphantly.

"See?!" He saw Max twisted expression but froze as his brother sighed, the air release almost audible.

"I'm fine, Cody." He looked at the words, more relaxed but not completely. Zack looked up and felt the sun's rays bouncing on his face. It felt wonderful. The wind blew through his hair as his light jacket blocked the light chill. In spite of his situation, he surveyed the area.

The people below scurried along the way, most looking only forward and glancing sideways at street signs and making sure not to bump into others. Pigeons flying at his level squawked at him as they looked for scraps.

"What are you waiting for?" Max's high pitched voice brought him back from the living painting. He stared back and said nothing but his brain rolled through the options. His hands were currently occupied so he stuck out his tongue.

He ignored the cackling as it reached him and reached up for the next rung, his feet swinging loosely as he fought gravity and the strain on his arms and his shoulders. The image of a monkey appeared in his eyes and Zack smiled.

Zack loved to climb just about anything. But mostly trees. The dirt and wood chips covering his hands as his fingers gripped the bark and his feet found footholds (he preferred without sneakers but adults were so fussy sometimes). The challenge of ….

A screech and a groan wiped his mind clean as his hands grabbed their fourth rung, paint flakes covering his palms. His eyes found their way up and widened as the ladder started falling…

Zack's stomach dropped to his ankles as the ladder clanged inch by inch, bolts and screws passing each other, boy and metal plunging to the earth below.

Two arms wrapped themselves around the rung they had previously held as fear snagged Zack's chest. It was no stranger to him. In fact, it was one of those annoying neighbors you just wanted to get rid of but never could. Not legally.

The ladder slammed to a stop, twisting Zack's arms into pretzels, his feet dangling trying to latch on something like he used to when climbing trees. But there was nothing but air.

A voice called out, barely audible from the thunderous drumming in his chest.

"Zack!" Cody's panic-stricken face hit Zack's head as he looked down as he barely hung on, his muscles starting their protest of his actions. His shock and fear changed his friends to mimes as they responded to his predicament.

With his blood addicted to adrenaline and his lungs sucking in more air more than a vacuum cleaner on full power, Zack had limited control. That control decreased as his arms screamed as the pressure of holding up his whole body began to wear on him.

Sweat glistened his hands as Cody's voice sang to him.

"You have to let go Zack!" Cody's surprise distracted Zack for his grip to slip to fall one rung down the ladder. He screamed back down as his head slipped between rungs.

"You're nuts." Tom cupped his hands to make himself heard.

"No, the ladder's lower, you can fall." Zack looked incredulous until he looked down. The ground did not appear to be that far down. Or not. Tapeworm tried to fuel Zack's confidence.

"We'll catch you, I promise." Zack paused for a second, his arms feeling like rubber, ready to fall apart. His situation was tricky at best. He could either hang on and fall without any sense of when or he could let go now and give the others time to prepare. His brain made the decision for him as he saw a projected film of himself falling and the ladder dropping down onto him….

"Oh right, I'm ready." The gang below huddled together but he could not see what they were doing. Exasperation drained him while seconds expired. The fire in his shoulders could not be blocked…Tears rose up in his eyes.

"Come on Zack, we're ready." Zack stared down at everyone in a circle holding onto something but his eyes could not focus.

"Damn it." The expletive explained it all. And Zack fell.

….

The circle shattered as the preteens were dragged into the center by the weight of the fifth. They all ended in a pile.

"I cant believe it worked." Tapeworm laughed at his amazement while trying to untangle from Max, who getting to her hands and knees, staring at her jacket. Which happened to be under Zack, who sat up at that exact second.

"Whoa, that was quite a trip."

"Would you please get off our stuff please?" Zack realized where he was and scurried away from Max, finally standing up to see his brother and their friends digging through the pile under him. The pile of jackets…

The befuddlement was so obvious, Max saw it.

"It was Tapeworm. He had the idea to tie them together and build some make shift trampoline. It was the best idea but its all we had and everybody was out of ideas." Max smiled at her next door neighbor, who blushed.

"What I saw this old movie last night and it just came to me. Its good thing he was only ten or twelve feet off the ground or we might have been in trouble."

"Who says we are not?" Tom realized he killed the mood and moved on. "That was a close call anyway. Anyone hurt?"

Everyone shook their heads except Zack.

"Just my pride. Man I wish I could have gotten up there."

"Maybe you still can…" Zack started to question his brother's sanity until he saw he was wearing the wonderful plan hatching face of his. His lower lip stuck out as he lightly nibbled on it while his arms were crossed across his chest. He rarely ever saw it. He ginned widely.

"What if we use all the jackets to create a rope and loop them around the lowest rung and pull it down?" Cody pointed up for emphasis. Max, Tape and Tom looked stunned. Cody explained further. "Well with Zack's fall to earth, the ladder has where we might be able reach it."

"This is from the boy who does not cause any trouble and now wants to create his own?" Max shook her head but Cody shot back.

"That's true, but I must admit I'm curious too about what they are doing…" Cody could only shrug as he went further. The others did not disagree but one was a little squeamish.

"Alright fine, however before I agree to this, we'll agree that if one of us wants out, they can get out without being made fun of, agreed? Max put her hand in the middle of the circle they reformed during their talk and the others joined in.

….

A short time later, a jacket rope was finished and Max was chosen to throw it up. Her frustration was growing with each attempt.

Why was I chosen to do this? Tapeworm's taller." Tapeworm answered her.

"Because you have the strongest arm out of all of us." Max looked at him, amusement, pity in her face and frustration in her voice.

"Well I might as well get this over with." Max turned on the spot and threw the jury-rigged rope through the ladder and the twins pulled the other end to the ground.

"Alright everybody grab on and pull." Five pairs of hands pulled on the shirts and soon the ladder was on the ground and they started to climb it and finally reached the landing 15 feet above the ground. After some experimenting, they found one of the windows slightly ajar and managed lift it up, giving them just enough room to slid through.

But they found themselves trapped almost completely.

"The door's locked and there's no window to break through to the other side." Tom mentioned casually as he walked back toward the group as they stood around looking at what appeared to be a storeroom inside the building. The metal shelves and boxes decorated the room along with a layer of dust. The only of light being the sun's glare with the light bulbs above them burnt out.

"Great now we're stuck in here with almost no way out since the windows are like five feet above our heads." Cody tried to calm Max down with his suggestion.

"We could try climbing the shelves or stack the boxes to get out." Max looked at him with disbelief.

"Who knows how old this place is? And would the Marines come here anyway, it does not seem right." Max looked behind her as Zack was crawling on the ground, pushing boxes out of his way. "What are you doing?"

What does it look like, I'm finding a way inside. Since we cant leave easily, might as well see what's inside…. Aha! Found it!"

The gang moved around Zack to see a vent cover sticking out from the wall, cobwebs and the surrounding faded yellow paint showing its age.

"Its screwed on, how are we going to get it off?" Zack laughed at Tapeworm's question and reached into his back pants pocket. The others' eyes ballooned when they saw it. Cody opened his mouth in rapid fire succession.

"But that's a…Swiss Army Knife! How could you buy it? I mean you spend all that time down at the candy counter with Maddie." Cody's saw Max's sudden interest and explained. "She's in charge of the candy. She's 14, almost 15, and Zack down there at least twice a day talking to her."

"And she's pretty?" Max's probe carried an edge but Cody never sensed it.

"Yeah, why?" Max responded quickly.

"Nothin'." Cody shrugged and turned back toward his twin. But Tapeworm turned back to the previous topic and lowered himself and his voice to Max's level.

"You are not an ugly duckling Max.. You're…em.. nice-looking." Max's head whipped around and Tape backpedaled under the girl's stare, creating a healthy distance between the two. Tom watching the whole thing, intrigued. Cody finally turned around at the sound of Tapeworm's retreat.

"What's wrong?" Max bite her lip then finally break away.

"There's nothing wrong. Nothing at all." Cody's head tilted sideways as he looked at the odd trio then wondered about Zack, who was already unscrewing the vent.

"Seriously, Zack how did you get it? All your money goes to food, especially candy."

Zack kept his head level with the vent, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth but talked anyway.

"Not all of my money, bro. I do think ahead sometimes. It might get me out a few jams. But do I love chocolate." The multi-tool found itself back in Zack's pocket as he pulled on the vent. With a scraping sound, the metal grate released.

Zack coughed as he stood up and the group stared at the open vent. It was almost three feet wide and two feet in height. And filled with dust and cobwebs. Everyone stared at Zack with skepticism, who simply shrugged.

"I'm going and you can all go with me if you want. I'm not forcing you." Zack did not wait for their answer and he started to crawl into the dark vent. Cody looked at the vent "Oh, brother" Tom watched younger brother follow older brother and waited for Cody's feet to clear the opening.

"This will definitely be a story to tell…Someday. Maybe." Tom's sneaker clad feet disappeared into the darkness.

Tapeworm waited for max to go but when she froze, he went ahead. But her arm shot out and grabbed him. Her soft eyes caught him off guard and her next word stunned him as the other boys' echoes dimmed slightly. Max nibbled on her lip before pushing forward.

"Thanks." Tapeworm stuttered as her smile seemed almost out of place.

"It was nothing." Silence was their friend as they remembered their past. Meeting at their fence long ago as the only offspring of their parents. Bees and insects flying around as the dandelions released their seeds. Their eyes meeting through the chain link fence as both heads barely reached the top rail. The wind tossing their hair about. A boy smiles…

The revelation of his nickname originating from the science lesson they had before the completion of the infamous two minute hotdog dare.

"Well we better get going….Ladies first." Tapeworm's classic line only drew sniggers from Max and the tomboy started her journey in the unlit vent.

….

"You better not do anything disgusting Tom or you'll get it, I swear. " Max's cell phone light revealed Tom's form. The soft blue glow outlined his legs as his knees scraped the vent's floor as he tried to close the space between his legs.

The electronic glow and the scrapes and bumps bounced off the vent's sides as the group progressed down the tube.

"You know, I hope we don't run into any rats. I hate rats." Cody's moaning drummed its way until his words became unknowable until Tom 's quieter voice answered.

"Relax. I don't think we have worry about that. We're too high for them to climb."

"I am worried about getting covered in cobwebs and who knows what else… I might look like a zombie. " The boys chuckled at Max's complaint.

"I am the one that should be worrying about that since I am the one in front! Woaaaahh" Zack's voice cut off as his feet disappeared from view. Cody reacted so quickly he ended going the same way as his brother. Tom tested his way forward, the cellular light scanning ahead of him. He found the abyss his friends fell into. He looked down and sound reached him.

Grumbling and arguing from the voices of the two twins. He reached out as he felt Max and Tape crawl up behind him.

"Are you guys hurt? Or broken?"

"I'm fine but I landed on Zack." Zack yelled back.

"You landed on my back and crushed me!" Cody did not respond. After a few seconds, Zack called up to his friends.

"You can come down, just be careful the chute comes down at an angle. One at a time, you don't want to end up sandwiched together."

Soon Max, Tape and Tom safely ended their slide and found themselves in an expanded section of the vent four feet across. After a meeting of the minds, the gang decided to go forward. A few moments of crawling later, light shown ahead of them, along with some noise. Zack had no problems getting the vent cover off and sliding it away from him and he crawled out, his friends followed in his wake.

…..

Light and shadow protected them from notice as the preteens gathered their wits and dusted themselves off from their journey. Their eyes adjusted to the light saw a slotted metallic structure above their heads.

"Stadium bleachers…" Max's words filtered through their minds as they spread stealthy under the bleachers to see the scene in front of them.

They found themselves looking at a gym. On human steroids. And it was drowning in sweat.

Sweatsuit clad people were everywhere in the American football field sized room. Workout equipment decorated the outer rim of the whole room as the sun lighten the room. The music of heavy breathing and grunts perforated the space from floor to ceiling. The clanging of metal on metal and footwear on rubber provided the newest hit to the workout rhythm.

"I can't believe we ended up doing all that just to find out this place is gym." Max's harsh whispers stopped. "And a Marine gym at that." Those was no response from the others as they stared watching this scene of endurance. Muscles flexing with the strain of the bar bells, The bench press stopping within centimeters of a person's chest only to be pushed upward.

The sounds of cannons jarred the kids' attentions loose and they all readjusted to view this new scene, only a few feet away from them. Two Marines were exchanging turns on a punching bag. One held it in place while the other took their shots. The males looked stunned at the well-built marines.

"They look like Amazons or Greek goddesses…" Max smiled at her neighbor's words.

"It seems somebody's got a crush." A tomato matched the color of the boy's face perfectly.

"Maybe..but he's right." Tom looked around to see the others gathering around to watch the poor punching bag get pummeled. The women's sweat dripping from their faces and tank tops as fists and kicks flew. The short hair staying in its bun but threatening to lash out at its prison. The males flinching with every impact. Max's smile spread till it spread, from ear to ear as she watched her male companions' discomfort.

….

Then suddenly the crescendo slowed. The weight lifting, the running, the training… The kids did not realize this since they acted like the snakes to the women's impacts. Brains turned off as they gawked at the tantalizing sight of these two warriors killing the defenseless hanging sack.

But the spell broke as the impacts ceased and the two women towards looked the middle room. Both smiled, walked to the center of the room while wrapping their sweat towels around their necks after drying themselves off a little.

The kids followed the lethal ladies' movements and watched as two people walked into the room and onto the central mat that covered the center of the room. Both wore padded headwear and mitten-like gloves with a white robe-like outfit with a belt. Padded footwear completed the ensemble. The kids could not tell from the distance whom they were. The pair set themselves up on opposite ends of the mat and bowed and raised their hands in front of them.

"They're sparring…." Tom's whisper told the others as seconds passed as the fighters stood still. Then it began….

The combatants moved into range of each other, the searching of the other's defenses fruitless. The pair circles like boxers in a ring, their focus never straying. The Marine spectators circled the mat, miraculously leaving a space for the undiscovered children to watch.

Arms, elbows and legs appeared to be on fast-forward as the blurs merged, the smacks and the thuds too slow to catch up to the impacts.

The children's baby-faced inexperience failed them as their jaws dropped but Zack's mind was stilling working.

"This is better than any wrestling match…"

No one filed a complaint as everyone flinched as the concussion of a body hitting the mat after being judo-thrown. The body laid on the ground as its foe charged towards it with its intention to strike. The fist was dodged as the fallen rolled to the side, pushed up and backflipped away. The match froze, time stopped as the competitors paused to their fight. The time swept up by the audience with their approval of a few hoots and hollers. The energy in the room only increases as the kids looked on as hands found themselves in the guard position once again. The first round continued...

Thunder cracked as the foot forced one of the fighter's heads to whiplash, as the other took advantage of the height disadvantage. The target dodged the follow up strike and moved toward his attacker. Kicks, punches and chops were pushed aside in a fury.

Bruises and sores given in exchange for territory. It worked as the cyclone of attacks filled the air.

An overextended punch left an opening as the taller fighter took advantage. Coiled to absorb the blows, she struck with lightening trained quickness and ducked under the punch. Moving with intention, she moved around her smaller opponent and behind him, her limbs flashed as one as she positioned herself into a rear naked chokehold. One arm under the chin, the other pushing his head into the crook of the first limb. But her opponent did not frail, he only swung a vicious elbow into her padded helmet. The stinging strike broke her focus for a split second. But that's all he needed as a headlock was followed by her body finding itself on its back after a flip and an elbow across her throat.

She lost the point.

….

"Yeah, alright!" The bleacher held under Zack's steely grip as he stuck his head out from under the bleachers for a better view of the fight as his breathing started to rush.

"Zack, we have to go." Zack pulled himself back under the bleachers as his brother spoke to him.

"But they are not finished yet." Zack's almost whininess brought a smile to Cody's face as he tried to explain.

"I know but they are also distracted right now. We have to get out of here before we are discovered." Zack's eyes turned back to the center mat with its pair of fighters squaring off.

"So cool…"

"Yeah, but Cody's right, we need to go now." Zack looked at Max who finished speaking than at tape and Tom.

"Okay, let's go." Zack waited for the others to move and tried to crouch his way through the bleacher supports. Max started the conversation.

"Anyone else feel really tired? I mean all of a sudden" The boys looked at each other and Tom spoke for all of them.

"Yeah why?" Max just shrugged.

"I just feel really sore and its hard to move." Her neighbor decided to speak.

"Considering everything that has gone on today and between the crawling and the crouching, I'm tired, too. And watching those Marines train is making me exhausted." The kids shared some smothered chuckles until Cody saw Tom looking up above them at the bleachers.

"What is it?" The auburn haired boy answered.

"I'm not sure, but I thought I saw something…But its gone. Its like I was being watched or something…Anyone else see anything?" The others shook their heads and Tom sighed.

"Well all this exercise and excitement is getting me. It's humid in here. I'm starting to sweat.."

"Eww…Tom…" Tom attempted to apologize but a smile revealed itself but Tapeworm stole the girl's attention.

"Yeah, but didn't you spend like hours shooting basketball at home, working on your game… in the heat of the summer."

"That's different." Max's weak defense drew silence. Cody moved things along, his head bouncing up and down trying to see through the bleaches.

"Let's go, please."

Zack led the way, not going back towards the vent entrance but instead taking a right and following the wall.

"I figured no one wanted to climb all the way up the vent and back down the ladder. Why not use the front door?"

"Now you use the front door?" Zack ignored Max's dripping sarcasm.

"Yeah, but as my baby bro said, they're distracted. It might be open." The group ended at the bleachers. Zack poked his head out and looked both ways.

"It's clear. We go together?" The answer was an unanimous yes. "Okay….stay low and close to the wall…" The others nodded and Zack looked out while putting up three fingers. He continued looking both ways while his fingers dropped. At zero, he slipped out into the open, the others following. The chain of teenagers creeped toward the archway while forcing themselves to be quiet. The door just a few feet away…

"Freeze! Don't Move!" The human train jumped out of their skins as they tried to maintain control of their bodily functions. Their bodies refused to respond as they shook in place.

"Turn…around" The children struggled to turn in place with knocking each other but they moved in compliance of the edict from above. Eyes widened in recognition and hope as they realized who held dominion over them.

Its Gunny Vanessa Williams. They all remembered her from the conversations at the coffee shop. But all the humor and warmth they remembered vanished like it never existed at all. In her place was some living Leviathan, her arms crossed her chest. The glare chilling to their very cores. Even in her gym sweats, she looked much taller than in that relaxed atmosphere, almost like a Titan. Suddenly the children felt very small like mice…

"Well, well, we do we have here?" Williams stared at the children, not moved by their fright nor whom they were.

Movement caused Max to look to her right. Her mind spun through several words her parents would ground her for even thinking as her mind spelled it out for her. Their worst nightmare. Tom spoke up.

"I see it too." Their soft whispers creeped out, aware of the lethal female in front of them. No…make that both genders of lethal weapons in front of them. Their numbers were growing by the second… Max tried to continue.

"How good is our luck?" Tom wanted to laugh at the question but his throat refused to work properly so he just talked.

"Pretty bad. There's a few hundred off-planet at all with the rest being protected. So our chances are…well, in the toilet." Max could not answer but she touched Tapeworm's arm and broke his spell. The chain continued until all six were staring at the creature of their fixation.

It was a cream and gray treecat staring at them, who just happened to be sitting exactly where they had come out into the open…..

"What's going on here?" Rapidly drumming hearts could almost heard in the archway even as the Marines shuffled to let people through.

"Our luck can not be seriously be that bad, can it? I mean it can't, right." Tapeworm's dread touched all of them. For they had the same fear too.

Finally two forms in white found their way to the front of the pack of Marines.

"We're in so much trouble." Tapeworm said out loud as one of the fighters from before took off the mitts and the protective helmet. The kids' stomachs fell as the face was fully revealed with the brown hair sticking out in all directions. But the face was all too clear.

"No…" Cody's tremor gripped them all. "We're screwed."

**Yes, go ahead hate me. I want to know what you think about this little tale I put the kids on. Too long? Too short? Okay maybe not that…I tried to make it showing the kids as normal as possible.**

**As for anything else, feel free to voice your opinion either through reviews or PMs. Thanks.**

**The next chapter should be up at a much faster clip than this. Along with other things.**


	31. Questions and Answers

**Thanks to sol invictus for betaing this. I do not own Suite Life or Honor Harrington.**

"We have unexpected visitors, sir."

"I can see that, Gunny." Ken glanced around quickly at the gathering crowd. "I'll take care of this." The Sgt.-Major nodded in compliance and turned around to back off the suspicious Marines. Meanwhile Ken continued to stare at the heart of the situation.

"I must say this is unexpected." Ken chuckled at his own line and shook his head. He looked the whole group. He could see on their faces no matter how hard they tried to hide it. Anxiety, nervousness, even outright fear shown in their faces and bodies. They appeared wilted like they expected to be stomped out of existence.

Frankly Ken could not blame them one little bit…Of course the question was what to do? And how to do it considering his opinions would restricted. Two he had direct authority over, one partial authority over and the last two none at all. It was easily the hardest judgment since the twins came to live together.

He gave himself a few seconds to give him more time… His mind spun over the match, the adrenaline made him feel almost punch drunk. The shot to his face stung with every muscle twitch. He was used to those after who knows how many bouts.

But this was different. This was another level. Uncertainty crept into his mind like it did before. Unfamiliarity made him slightly uneasy and his anxiety peaked. He would have to find a solution to this after the kids broke into an area inhabited by people he respected as fellow warriors.

He was not sure how, but something told him to draw upon his experience as a naval officer. The discipline, the mental strength and the balanced thinking. Everything he developed and discovered since entering the Saganami Island Naval Academy at the ripe old age of 18.

Ken detected support coming from somewhere and shifted his eyes over toward Alexander whose head twitched in his direction only to turn back toward the kids. He had moved from the bleacher spot where he left him, clearly interested in the children.

The thought was pushed aside to the more immediate situation and the deeper breathing needed to clear his mind. It gradually slowed but worry dripped into himself. He remembered the last time he corrected the twins what happened. He swore never to let get that far again.

Soreness and sweat covered him as he tried to piece together. But nothing tangible arose. Ken would laughed the absurdity of all. He could talked to system governors with patience and awareness despite the annoyances they sometimes caused. Pirates or slavers he could capture, kill, or execute with little issue. Of course, that had something to do with the fact they brought it upon themselves and interstellar law agreed with him.

But when it came to this, it was like everything he built up for himself failed to work. It was so frustrating!

Alexander's head turned to look at him. He stopped the runaway train in his head.

He needed to stop before he blew a gasket. He needed to remove himself from the situation. At least for a few minutes…

Ken treaded toward the children calmly. Their eyes focused on him and away from the Marines.

"I must admit I surprised to see you here at all. I have to wonder to how you got in here in the first place. It's a mystery." The kids avoided looking at each other at all cost but Gunny Williams walked up to the Captain.

"Sir, we may have that mystery solved. We found a vent cover missing under the bleachers and a search of the building found a old third floor storage room also with a vent unscrewed and left open with a window open. It appears they used a lowered ladder to gain access to the building."

Ken accepted and thanked the Marine non-com who simply looked at the children and walked away. But about two dozen Marines still showed interest in the little guests.

Well with that solved, I have to wonder what to do with you. " Ken folded his arms across his chest then looked down.

"But first I am going to get a shower since I..well… stink." A look of brief disgust crossed Max's face but it disappeared just as quickly as Ken's face hardened to battle steel and the temperature in the room dropped. "But in the mean time while that happens, you are not going to leave this room."

Ken grabbed his towel from the bleacher and Alexander followed him as he walked past the group of troublemakers then stopped.

"I am leaving you in the very capable hands of these Marines." Ken's mouth almost twitched upward but it stopped as he saw anxiety increase on all the friends' faces. A casual tone edged his next words.

"Be good now. I'll be back in a while." Ken gave one final nod to some Marines nearby and both he and Alexander made their way to the showers.

….

"Hello Maddie, how are you?" Maddie gave a quick glance to the security marking the doorway and dashed into the suite. Joanna gave it no regard as the young woman answered with a smile.

"Fine. Thanks. I am on my break so I have a question? Or it's like a request." Joanna waved Maddie to follow as she walked towards the twins' room.

"Well I was wondering if I could babysit the twins' sometimes?" The princess looked at the hotel with an intrigued expression. Maddie continued albeit with a faster pace.

"I work here to help my parents but I get the minimum wage working at the candy counter downstairs so I thought I ask you since you have the twins." Joanna sat down on the edge of Cody's bed and stayed silent for a few seconds. When she looked up, she caught the hopeful expectations on Maddie's face.

"Okay, you can do it. It would be nice to be able to go out once in a while. Just the two of us. Ever since I have arrived and Cody soon after, it's been real hard to find some time for just the two of us." Maddie brightened but Joanna went on. "Now we have nothing scheduled right this second but if we decide on something or just want to go out to dinner alone, you'll be the one to call. You're downstairs all the time and the boys know you so I know they wont mind having you around to watch them."

Joanna shrugged. "of course at that age, they will probably groan about having to be babysat." Maddie laughed at that then looked around.

"It's quiet around here…" Joanna answered the unasked question.

"Well, the boys are out with their friends doing who knows what. As for Ken, he's spending time at one of the Marine Corp's training facilities." Maddie's eyes raised at that. Joanna answered after a second. "He's trying to burn some stress off."

"How are you relaxing now?" Joanna simply turned around and threw clothes from the floor into a hamper. Maddie looked dumbfounded.

"You see, before I came here to see Ken, I have very or no experience in cooking or doing laundry…"

"And you find this relaxing? Seriously?" Joanna smirked at Maddie's disbelief. "Why not something like yoga?"

"Unfortunately, I am not that flexible but, yes, strangely enough. I hate to be a bother but do you mind lending a hand?" Maddie shrugged and agreed. "Just throw any clothes on the floor into the basket. No point in trying out what's clean and what's not. "

The two ladies started to sort through the mixed piles.

"Where in the Star Kingdom did you come from if you don't mind me asking?" Joanna stopped her clean-up and looked toward the questioner.

"My family lived in Landing, the capital of the whole Star Kingdom. We've lived there ever we arrived in the Star Kingdom."

"When was that?"

"Put it simply, my family was there when the planet was first settled and we were there when the Star Kingdom was founded. We've always been there with no interruptions. "

The realization hit me Maddie and the young woman stayed silent. But not forever.

"You have servants and everything right?" Joanna confirmed her inquiry.

"It comes with the position. But my family tries to stay grounded as much as possible. Even through that can be difficult considering we deal with a lot of people in positions of power."

"Like the royal family?" Joanna hesitated. But only briefly.

"Yes." Joanna left the double meaning of the question and answer alone and moved on.

"I keep telling them to clean up this room and it looks like wild animals live here." Maddie laughed at that.

"My brother Liam is worse. I trip over his board games and toys all the time. I swear boys must be hardwired to make a mess." Maddie was corrected immediately.

"I would not say every boy has that issue, Madeline. My brother somehow avoided that little problem. But I suspect the servants' tenaciousness on upkeep had something to do that." Maddie listened as she dug a path into one of the piles, picking shirts, pants and boxers, tossing them into the hamper. "It appears Zack has embraced his messy side while Cody's has been blunted. "

Madeline looked around the room and frowned. The pool balls were still out on the green felt of the 10 in 1 sports table with the cue sticks crossing overhead while two backpacks hung open slung over desk chairs. Books were haphazardly stacked on one desk, mirrored by notebooks and pads on the other. Loose sheets poked out from their constructed rectangle and squares befriended by colored pencils. Alarm clocks stuck out from the miscellaneous items thrown about on both dressers backdropped by the blue wall paint. Assorted wall sports and music posters covered the wall surrounding the tv.

Maddie could see what Joanna meant. On one side of the room there was at least an attempt at maintenance. Granted, it was not perfect. The bed was not made properly, books not put away exactly where they were put before, but the effort was there until something distracted the task from being completed to satisfaction. Not uncommon…

Maddie stopped as she remembered the boxer shorts she was currently holding in her hand and quickly threw them into the hamper. Joanna covered her face from Maddie's revolted expression.

"That's one side of Zack I will never want to see again. My booger brother is bad enough…"

" Well you seem to be handling his attentions toward you pretty well…" The blank look changed toward understanding then hesitation all with a few seconds. Joanna waited the candy counter girl out.

"How do you feel about it? I mean the whole flirting thing?" Joanna tried to release Maddie from her edginess.

"The question should be how do you feel about it, considering it's happening to you?" The blond gathered her thoughts for the throwback question.

"To be honest, I was not sure what to think about it. I still think about that time when he yelled at me. I know it was not entirely his fault, but still….." Joanna continued to watch as Maddie bit her lip to buy time.

"But then, it became…normal. I did not mind it. He could come into the lobby, walk right to the counter and ask for a candy bar and we'd talk. About school, the hotel, anything. And Zack would flirt with me." A smile was quickly suppressed as she realized Joanna was in the room. "I realize it's probably just a crush, nothing serious with the age difference and everything. It felt…nice." Maddie froze.

"Thank you, Maddie." Bewilderment spread over Maddie's face to Joanna's expression of gratitude.

"Why?" The question was answered.

"You see, Zack has issues with expressing himself sometimes. Besides his brother and a few times during homework or dinner and that one outburst he rarely expresses himself openly. I mean, we talk about things but he does not get fully involved. He even shuts himself off sometimes. What he does with you is wonderful. It's a step in the right direction. It's normal."

"I'm glad to help." Maddie's mouth twitched before the words left their confinement.

"Good, could you get me the dust rags and some cleaner? Something tells me I will need them eventually." Maddie left and quickly returned, pondering something.

"I can ask you about Prolong?"

Joanna looked up."Sure…The medical aspect? The process?" But Maddie shocked her.

"The moral aspect." Joanna stood up and turned to Maddie.

"Sit down, Maddie. This might take a while." The two women sat down on Cody's bed. Joanna got comfortable as Maddie left the rags and cleaner on a nearby table and started her inquiry.

"I grew up in a religious background with my parents sending us to Catholic school and it seems Prolong is against religion. Or should be against God's word. I mean extending human life to an unnatural length…"

Joanna paused before answering calmly.

"First before I respond, I try my best to answer. They are not the whole answers just my own and what I know and believe." She waited and Maddie nodded. "Well Maddie, your questions about Prolong cannot be answered by themselves. Their just too broad. But I will try to answer them. Please feel to ask for details as they come up. "

"Science and Technology such as Prolong have always conflicted with religion. One based on numbers and tests while the other is based on faith. Completely opposite ends."

"Then what did your religious leaders do? "

"Well, they decided to adapt to the new situation. They realized very shortly it was the best way to go considering the Prolong technology has become so relatively widespread. Now there have been religious migrations to create new colonies or nations when beliefs conflict with what society has become but that has not happened in at least a couple hundred years.

"The other option was to go to war but that was impossible. There are too many inhabited worlds out there for them to have control over. A world here or there but not everywhere in space." Maddie sat there shocked to her shoes.

"You mean religion does not exist?" Joanna realized the fear behind the question and answered quickly.

"No, what I said is that, except for a few worlds, religion and technology tend have a balanced effect in one's life. Technology helps us in our lives and gets us places and heals us. Religion is there as a part of our lives, not the whole thing. As a matter of fact, peoples' beliefs really don't affect us at all. I suppose you could say we do not care what religion you explore."

"Surely Prolong would affect marriage and stuff like that?" Joanna wondered about the question for a seconds then answered.

"Well, to be honest, Maddie, not everything about Prolong's impact has been seen, not every question answered. But most religions have been realistic about it's effects on marriage. They realize, even expect, that marriages might not last forever. I would be surprised if the religious leadership reached out to their counterparts here to communicate. But in the end, that does not mean marriages end without a lot of effort trying to keep them together."

"I know, my parents fight a lot sometimes…" Maddie sullenly replied. The older women sympathized.

"All parents have their arguments. Big and small. That's one of the difficulties of marriage. How difficult is it to stay in one with the money problems, arguments over differences of opinion and non-communication…Even staleness. It happens." Joanna recognized Maddie's understanding and continued. "Now imagine trying to keep that relationship up for let's say 70, 90, a century or even longer. Of course, the choice to end a marriage is a couple's choice."

"It will be impossible for my parents… " Joanna grasped Maddie's hand she thought about the implications of the statement.

"I'm sorry for that but we have limitations to the technology but be happy for the time they have." Maddie's voice creaked as she tried to respond.

"It's hard when they fight, you know?"

"Yes, I do. I heard my parents fight on a few occasions. They tried to cover it up but I knew them too well. It hurt me when they did. But it's impossible to not fight at all. But remember, you have to try to make a marriage, not just expect to work. That's one lesson my own parents have taught me." Joanna stayed while Madeline sorted out her thoughts and wiped her tears.

"Can you tell me of any other Prolong effects?" the strength had returned to Maddie's voice.

"Besides marriage, the next one is relationships and careers. This aspect is just starting to change even more slowly than marriage. " Maddie's confusion revealed itself again and the hidden princess delved in. "You see, some of the last of the pre-Prolong generation are dying out right now. Their attitudes about certain things still affect now. One example is the acceptable age gap between people in a relationship. Now, given a few decades, things might change but right now they are not. As a matter of fact, some of them are similar to your own. "

"I bet Prolong will change careers radically. People already are able to do two or three careers." Joanna continued Maddie's train of thought.

"Very true. Earning more money and trying different things out is an option with Prolong. Of course the negative to living a lot longer is the opportunity to become stuck on one job forever, losing any will to create new things or ideas." Joanna paused as she saw Maddie wanting to say something.

"I see a lot of really old teachers at school saying some stuff that is either out of date or does not make any sense. Everybody thinks they should retire already."

"Yes, I can understand that. The military has the same issue as education but in a different form. My father and uncle have experience in the armed forces, so I know for a fact they rotate people from different posts every so often so they do not get into a mental rut for ideas. Or worse, complacency. It's a little more difficult to do that in politics…" Joanna winced, "…but that is what it is. We just hope the voters and luck stop it before the political leadership gets too bad or too out of date on any side."

"Prolong has to have everyone rethinking medical issues. I mean, all those problems at the end of people's lives just get pushed back…" Joanna realized where Maddie was heading and tried to stop it.

"That part is somewhat unknown although it appears the time to have children will be extended and the choices that come with that. You see, we do have to deal with random or military injuries or accidents in people's lives just like you do. We usually have them regrown through regeneration or they get prostheses." Maddie saw Joanna's eyes darken slightly. "There are even situations where even we cannot repair injuries completely if the damage is too extensive or certain areas of the brain are damaged or if the body does not cooperate.. It's just not possible." A look of sadness wandered onto the teenager's face as she contemplated this. Joanna waited for a few seconds then continued.

"As for long term, we have not quite figured it out. Eventually, everyone's body starts to break down. It's a fact of life, so we may just see a delay on that. But people can still die if they abuse their body or mind too much. Even we have limits for that. Of course, having people's lives being extended so much would cause a great financial strain on the system…But I know a lot of people are working on the problem."

"The other issues involve inheritance…" Maddie stopped Joanna. Her sermon paused, the royal looked up.

"What about beauty?" Maddie shrugged. "What? I'm curious." The question drew no anger but a sense of expectation from Joanna.

"It's quite easy considering Prolong's meaning…" Maddie's groan punctuated the room.

"Great, now I have watch London getting facelifts for all time. I mean, she has the money to fold even if her father kicks the bucket."

"It seems interesting that you would bring up London when you asked the beauty question" Joanna left the question open but Maddie did not or could not answer it right away. A minute later, Maddie's voice returned.

"I don't think so…It's just that I see her around a lot and in the tabloids. She was the first person to come to mind." Maddie looked to see Joanna probing her, she bit her lip and pushed away the temptation to bite her fingernails. Joanna left the glaring spotlight for a few more seconds and shook her head.

"It always we have a problem when it comes to beauty. It's the one of the major things that can built us up or tear us down. It's so compromising, yet it surrounds us at every turn whether we realize it or not."

"We see all those stupid makeup commercials with only those beautiful people in them." Joanna did not let Maddie's disgust go unanswered. But the princess stayed level and focused.

"Are you saying you're not beautiful?" The blond stature stared back at her opposite in everything. There was no mocking in Joanna's voice. Curiosity, even probing, yes, but nothing suggested condescension. A good mystery wandered into Maddie's as to Joanna's motivations but it was rude to keep a person of her social standing waiting.

"No, not really, it's just…" Joanna stopped her before she offered an excuse.

"Maddie, you are beautiful." A light blush colors the girl's cheeks. "I come from a society where perfect beauty can be bought and literally sculpted to your every want. Biosculpt is often seen in my social circle."

"I see London buying it up as soon as it's available…"

"I think you understand how much she thinks of herself. There's a difference between maintaining one's look and dramatically altering it. Besides, Madeline, Wilfred is dead poor compared to some people back home." A smile penetrated the princess' well-adorned mask as Maddie refused to believe the claim's preposterousness. "It's true, London would be lost in a very large crowd compared to people back home."

Joanna's speech developed a touch of steel as Maddie comprehended everything.

"Now I want you, Madeline Fitzpatrick, to stop beating yourself up over this. Your natural beauty will beat anyone's. Know this, someone will fall for you one day, then you will know I speak the truth. Understand?"

Maddie's violent head nodding answered the question.

"Good… Let's get this finished. We've lost a lot of time talking…" Maddie made a suggestion.

"I rather not touch the clothes…" Joanna laughed.

"Yes, Zack would almost die of embarrassment if he walks and see you picking up his boxers…so trying cleaning the shelves but it does not have to be perfect. It won't last anyways…" So her assistant started on her new assignment.

…..

Joanna was sorting a rather wrinkled pile at the head of Cody's bed while Maddie had finished with one of the bookcases and switched sides to Zack's desk. Or the area around and under the desk to be specific, sorting through the various piles of paper and pads laying the ground. Soon, she was digging ferociously behind the bookcase next the desk which held mostly piles of comics, music and junk. Joanna looked over and watched as the pile of action comics started to teeter as Maddie continued to jam her hand between the back of the book case and the wall.

A wave of paper, lint and the unknown flew into the air. The girl stopped to sort the piles, her gaze shifting from one object to the next, from paper to paper. Joanna almost turned back to her own, wondering how Cody could stand to live in the same room as his brother sometimes.

Love cures all ailments and covers problems as Maddie went rigid staring at a piece of paper. Then at another and a third. A pale face troubled Joanna as Maddie continued to stare at the artwork. Suddenly Maddie rose and turned around only to stop dead at seeing Joanna looking at her.

Her grip tightened on the three sheets of artwork in her hand. Maddie walked silently toward Joanna. Distress marked her face even though she tried to hide it. Joanna reached out for the artwork as the clearly shaken girl offered the pictures to her.

"I found this buried behind the shelf…by Zack's desk…." Joanna's breathing stopped for a split second then kickstarted with increased intensity. Her mask hid what was inside as she saw the color, the pencil and the blackness staring back at her.

What's going on? Something's wrong with Zack, is it? I mean, look at this?" Worry mixed with desperation reached out toward Joanna. Joanna could see them swirling around the blond's eyes. Joanna stopped before she was overwhelmed and turned to Maddie.

"I'd think we are done for today, Maddie. Thank you." For an instant, betrayal and confusion simmered in Maddie's eyes but they were pushed away by curiosity.

"What are you going to do with…" Maddie motioned toward the artwork. Joanna frowned.

"They obviously mean something to him. Something he's trying to say. We have, no, we need to help him." Maddie walked away but stopped before she left the twins' room.

"He tries to hide it but I think he's in pain…" Joanna did not say anything and Maddie left. Joanna sat down on Zack's bed and continued to stare at the picture with faraway eyes.

…..

"You took my advice, I see." Ken and Alexander stared at the former intruders. The group mirrored being boxed in all sides and nervous. They almost huddled together, watching the Marines who had done nothing at all to threaten them.

"Follow me, we need to talk." Electricity ran through the cowering mass until they all stared at each other and walked behind Ken, their eyesight scanning for Marines at every turn. Maxine tried to talk.

"I am really tired and it's hard to breathe." Tapeworm lowered kept his voice level while he tried to avoid not bumping into any Marines as he spoke.

"I'm more worried about jailed in my room till I'm 21 or just staying alive right now. "

"I'm not sure what's worse, dying or our parents' faces when they hear of this…But Max is right it's getting hard to breathe and my legs feel like they've fallen off.

"So you're tired. You did have a bit of day, I suppose." The children stopped in their tracks as Ken pivoted around, Alexander matching his movement. "Unfortunately for you, it's not quite over yet." The civilian clothed officer looked at Cody as he spoke meekly.

"I think what Max was saying is that we were never this tired until we ended up in this room." Agreement appeared on the other kids as well as the sweat running down their heads into their shirts.

"And I think I may know why." Ken turned toward the nearest Marine and motioned him over. "Please turn off the gravity plate underneath the gym." Ken jerked toward the kids. "I think we've put them through enough as it is. The Marine rushed away while turned to look at the children and ignored the curious looks on all their faces.

Soon the Marine returned and gave a thumbs-up.

"Better?" Agreement was universal. Ken cut off the questioning before it began as he walked. "We gravity plates to allow us to walk in our ships instead of drifting and we can use them as training tools as well to increase strength and endurance. In the meantime, inside, all of you." The students followed the command as they walked into the room. Inside was a spartan room with white walls, a old desk and chair and some plastic folding chairs. The kids sat down while Ken closed the door, quieting the noise outside. Ken followed suit and sat down behind the desk, Alexander taking a spot by his folded hands as they laid on the desk blotter.

"I must say this was beyond the realm of what I thought possible by any of you. I meant it's not everyday five kids have the daring and audacity to find their way into a Marine training facility. I understand some university punks doing it on a dare but that would be insane. So I have to ask, who or whom were the ones who thought of this little adventure?"

None of the kids looked at ken as he waited. Tom looked around but withered when he caught Ken's eye. Cody was fidgeting in his seat while Zack looked shrunken in his seat.

"No one wants to talk? Okay fine, I get that. You're all in this together then. I even appreciate that. But I wonder if it's because you're more afraid of the others might think if you did out the person who created this?" Ken sat back and ran his hand down Alexander's spine. The low purring marked his enjoyment.

"We weren't forced into it you know? We agreed anyone could back out without a problem. We just decided not to do it, okay?" Ken;s head whiplashed to Tom, who was staring at him with fragile strength.

"Really? Tom's nod answered Ken's query, who sat back staring at the whole group then back at Tom."Well then I misjudged you. There just might a deeper friendship here than I thought."

Ken leaned forward, his hands touching as they tapped the desk blotter.

"Well, even with that, it's better everyone is here so you can hear at the same time. Perhaps it will get through…." Ken looked at the ceiling before looking back at the kids. "Did you have any clue whatsoever of the possible dangers you could have been in if things had been different?

"Like how?" Cody narrowed in on the speaker

"Well, Cody let's exchange Marines for drug dealers…things change very quickly, don't they?"

"Yes, but does not matter we were sort of following the Marines….someone had noticed." Ken noticed the soft intensity and the delay in Cody's voice. He pulled the conversation to where he wanted to go but as calmly as he could.

"Whatever the reason, Cody, if someone less morally upstanding than us had occupied this building, you could been hurt or even killed. You can't just go do something because it catches your interest or it look fun. You have to weigh the situation and the risks.

"Well we're fine, okay? Nobody got hurt…" Zack's comeback unleashed Ken.

"That's not the point, Zack." Ken paused then he continued. "Do you even realize there was a possibility you could have been arrested for this?"

The kids looked at him, aghast, as Ken snorted.

"Never even crossed your minds, I bet…"

"No one would do that, we're just kids.." Ken cackled.

"Really Christopher?...Are you so sure?" Tapeworm sat silent as Ken continued after using his birth name. "I could imagine some incredible jerk deciding to call the cops and having you led away after breaking a door or window and getting into his store…Which is remarkably similar to what you did here as a matter of fact."

The pieces started to come together on their faces as Ken continued his little story, his voice an icy chill.

"I picture that little phone call asking your parents or guardians to pick you up from the police station…" Ken waited for the sweat to appear on the kids' faces and the nervous twitching to start again as their minds cycled the mental movies. "You know I can imagine some parents…" Ken started to sweep the crowd one by one. "…would be very annoyed at getting that call.

"So, I suppose the question is now: What to do with you? You wonderful troublemakers…" Ken's expression would have impressed a shark with its lethality. The room stayed dead silent. Not even Alexander's tail moved as the treecat looked between his human and the children.

Ken laid his judgment.

"So here's I've decided to do with you. Unless you want to spend the rest of the day in a police jail cell or a juvenile detention center?" Ken's dark humored suggestion brought an emphatic no from all the kids. Their faces blurred by the head shaking. The guardian smiled.

"I've decided to let you off…" Numbness and astonishment swarmed the faces of the miscreants. Their judge, executioner and finally pardoner continued. "I figured being surrounded by lethal marines after getting caught in their place alone followed by what I just said is enough. I figured the whole thing took a month off your life."

"Now if you don't mind, I will leave you to allow time to put yourselves back together…" Ken grabbed Alexander, rose from the desk and walked toward the door.

"Thanks." Ken turned to see Max looking at him, looking more normal.

"You're welcome. You got lucky and I'll leave it at that. But…" Ken's face and voice turned inhuman. "If you ever do anything like this again, I will tell all of your parents everything. I mean every last detail and let them deal with you…"

Even Zack and Cody got his message as the words sank in but Max asked a question.

"Did you ever have to use those moves you did before? Like a real fight?" Her friends waited for Ken's answer.

"Yes…I took the guy out…" Ken ignored the fear and awe and stared at Zack and Cody. "I did had to protect someone. Let's go, time's a wasting… " Ken chuckled before the kids gave him weird looks. "Don't worry about the Marines laying a finger on you, they won't. Although they were curious in the locker room as to how you got in here in the first place."

"Well they will have to figure it out themselves." Cody replied confidently.

"They already have ideas…" Ken opened the door and led the group out as Cody's face changed dramatically. "But they decided to not push too far considering there was no damage, just some lost screws. Who am I to argue with some bunch of Marines? It's their territory, their building, their rules."

The noise increased as the workouts continued as before so Tom had to raise his voice to be heard.

"I find that odd because the Marines take orders from the Navy and I thought the Navy was better than the marines."

The second the words left Tom's mouth, all noise and movement started to die while Ken spun around in an instant. The kids instantly backed away, instincts kicking in, yelling for them to get out of danger, leaving their friend to face his end alone.

Daggers shredded Tom until he appeared like the little boy Ken looked after and loved so many years ago. The little boy who called him "Uncle" Ken, begged to be carried around on his shoulders. Now that not so little boy waited to hear from his "Uncle" on his screw-up.

"Thomas Richard Connelly, get your butt here. Now." The inhumane voice was back full force and Tom walked toward the appointed spot a couple feet in front of ken.

"You seriously wanted to be grounded, don't you?" Ken's eyes moved lighting fast around the room then back toward his godson. "I…I just cant believe you…You of all people! You should know better than that!"

"I'm sorry." Ken laid right into him with no mercy.

"You should be…You just disrespected pretty much every Marine in earshot. The chain of command may say they take orders from the Navy but that does not mean the Navy is better than the Corps. It's just for organizational and command purposes. Nothing else."

"I understand, Uncle Ken…" Tom did not even realize he said it as he stood frozen on the spot. Ken spotted the rest of the kids paying rapt attention as he changed his tone. It did not soften completely, it added a touch of humanity to the situation. A teachable moment.

"The marines are the first ones we send in, Tom." The auburn haired boy rose his head of his name, "when we recover a merchantman that was taken by a pirate or a damaged warship after combat. They've probably seen nine kinds of hell. Maybe even more than I have seen during my career. "

Tom watched as an odd sort of vulnerability showed itself on Ken's face.

"They are trained to do things I can't do. I can't just go into combat wearing that walking battle tank of armor of theirs. All this training is handle the controls for that and for any hand to hand combat that they might to deal with and come out alive." Ken grasped Tom's shoulder gently as he stared into the boy's eyes.

"So am I getting through to you?"

"Crystal." Fear still edged his voice but it did not break.

"It better because at the least, they deserve your respect considering they took an oath to make damn sure your behind is in one piece." Tom cracked a small smile at Ken's semi-crude humor but it soon disappeared. "I better not hear that come out of your mouth _ever_ again…." The temperature dropped slightly as Ken finished, his eyes glued to Tom, who nodded emphatically.

Ken's backed off for a second to see his audience but then focused on the rest of the younglings.

"Well I suppose I could give the legal five cent tour if you want it since you are already here." The mood switched as the warmth returned and everyone went about their business, their eyes watchful on the children.

**So this is part**** one**** of ****two**** part posting. Which will be posted in a day or two. Feel free to review especially Ken's parenting style and this new possible relationship between Joanna and Maddie**.


	32. Revealing Trust

**Thanks to Sol Invictus for betaing this. I do not own any suit life or honorverse properties.**** Here's Part 2:**

The clothes basket sat forgotten on the couch as Joanna's body sagged into the couch. Her eyes glazed over at the images of the three pictures on the table. Her teeth biting down on her fingernails as her mind raced.

She did not move when the door was knocked on for the first time. Or even the second time, a few minutes later. She was in her world, built up by fears and worries and soul searching.

Not until the door opened was she jarred. She instantly rose to see Karl Velazquez, the San Martian-born armsmen with his tank-like form and his deep voice speaking to her.

"Excuse me, I apologize for disturbing you but there's a man who says he needs to talk to you…"

Joanna's official mask covered her inner turmoil.

"Did this man tell you his purpose?" Joanna watched his hawk-like face with its hazel eyes try to hide a grimace but she detected it.

"He did after we told him we would not allow him inside without it. Detective Trufont's from the Boston Police Department's Special Victims Unit. He's outside right now and he's quite adamant about seeing you."

"I see… Please send him in." Velazquez hesitated for a split second then opened the door and a plain clothes man with a police badge clipped to his jacket walked in.

"I apologize for my security Detective, but they are quite protective of me."

"I understand but I must say handing over my weapon was unexpected at first. " Trufont sat down in a chair across from Joanna after they shook hands.

"I will make sure you will get back once you leave, they just want no one to come in here with a weapon."

"An assassination attempt, eh? I don't think your people would have to worry too much about that considering…" The black haired man's words dropped with the insinuation. Joanna knew where it was heading.

"Even with our technology, we learned never to be careless. It only takes one mistake or slip-up for something to go terribly wrong. Now, Detective, what is it that you need to see me for?"

"I'm following an investigation to a trial which is happening now in New York City. Your foster son Zackary's name came up in the background search of the accused and I was ordered to check it out. So here I am."

"You seem to be dodging the reason for coming, Mr. Trufont." The detective's eyes widened as he realized Joanna's directness. "Considering Zack's name came in up this man's past, I can at least have the man's name so I can look him up."

"Of course, it's Jeffery Lumond." Joanna got up and walked over to Ken's desk. After inputting the passcode, a drawer opened. She grabbed and opened a folder. Her eyes searched the papers until she looked up at the detective, her eyes made the detective blanch.

"Detective, I would appreciate it if you tell me everything you can about this right now."

…..

"He seems to be quite the fighter, sir."

"So it appears…" Ken replied to Captain Wilkins's suggestion as the pair watched the group of Marines and kids near the punching bag. Max watched Zack jab the bag lightly as she tried to talk to couple of the female Marines watching the attempt while Tom kept his distance from any Marine but stood nearby.

"What I mean, sir, is the way he acts. You see him testing out the punching bag with very little hesitation. Most first timers on that are hesitant. His brother seems to be avoiding it."

"Well, he is the older brother, Major…" Ken looked at the Marine officer with his traditional promotion to avoid confusion in the ranks "But Cody's no weakling at all, he just shows his strength in different ways. But they are very close, to an extreme even."

"My people figured that after that night. There's no way they both did not fight to survive." Wilkins' eyes caught Ken's stare. "Our people have kept the secret. They realize the damage that could be done if it ever gets out. Both for you and us. We do not need our Oaths to remind us of that."

A treecat's eyes stared at him. The creature evolved into an almost normal presence in the building. Wilkins could not help but wonder what happen if a Marine was adopted by one. Marine Country would never be the same again.

"Captain, I apologize for my words…" The ground pounder looked to see a light smile on his counterpart's face.

"No harm, no foul, Major. Just forget it. I trust you with my life…" Alexander's movements cut him off and raised voices sucked him back to the punching bag.

"Hey, kid, you have stop, okay? You're punching too hard. You will hurt yourself." Cody tried to add his familiar voice to the Marine's mezzo-soprano.

"Zack, please listen to her! Stop!"

But Zack refused stop, in fact he went faster. His punches machine-gunned into the bag. Left and rights busting the wobbling bag. His friends stood paralyzed, unable to do anything. Cody tried to grab his arms but they moved too fast, out of control.

Until two arms wrapped around Zack's body and pinned his arms to his sides. Cody stammered silently as he watched Ken fight to contain the flailing boy.

"Zackary, that's enough." The boy struggled shoving his head towards Ken, but he only banged it against the man's chest. His arms trying to break his imprisonment but Ken's grip held firm. His kicks hit only air as Ken lifted him slowly a few inches off the ground.

The boy's thrashing mirrored a fish out of water until his movements died and he sunk into Ken's forced cocoon. A swinging shadow hid his face.

….

A low hissing broke the silence as gentle fingers guided themselves over the boy's fingers. Silence joined the elder digits as they discovered the damage. The silence died.

"You gave that bag quite the pummeling" Ken's attempt at humor failed to reach his patient. Zack was biting his lip as the gauze was applied to his knuckles. "You have potential to be the world heavyweight champion, dropping them in the first round. Although your form has to be worked on a lot or else you might end up with completely busted knuckles."

Zack's eyes shimmered as he avoided Ken's sight. The thin white wrappings hid purplish-black bruising on his fingers and knuckles. His hand shook as Ken released his right hand from its temporary prison. Then slowly reached for Zack left. It was pulled back as the adult's fingers reached for it. Ken looked up but said nothing. His frozen posture with his hands barricading either side of Zack's legs as the boy sat on the bench. The equipment room was quiet except for human breathing and the occasional creaky noise.

Ken watched as pain ravaged the boy's face as he tried to bend his fingers. Single tears escaped down his cheeks. Cautiously, the second damaged hand laid on top of Ken's open right hand. He lifted it and searched for any fractures and disjointed bones.

"Thank goodness I had to learn first aid for being a foster parent. It's amazing when it comes in handy." Ken watched as Zack's eyes traveled to his face. It was relaxed but concentrated on his task. Soon the left matched the right and space was put between child and parent. Zack looked at his partially mummified fingers.

"It will take a few days for the bruises to go away. You did a number on them. Call it luck that you did not break anything." Zack said nothing as he laid his wrapped hands on his thighs."Of course the obvious question is why did you do it in the first place? Pound the heavy bag until your hands are sausages?"

Ken sat next to Alexander on the bench next to Zack as seconds passed.

"You know you can tell me anything you want, anything at all and I will listen. I promise." Ken's promise hit the human brick wall and fell. He decided to open up about himself. "I know my life has been pretty rough, you know? It was never really easy….No, I drew the short straw you could say." Zack's head turned until he looked at Ken, confusion distracting from the pain. Ken smiled as he saw he caught his attention and turned sideways across the bench.

"Okay, confession time, kiddo. Hopefully this might break the ice between us. You see, Zack, I have no birth parents. I am an orphan in the truest form. I was a foster child practically since I have been alive." Ken waited for the pieces to fall into place inside Zack's head. Minutes passed as the huge tidbit hit Zack until the boy started to speak. The slow words had their purpose.

"It is true? I mean your past?"

"Absolutely."

"Why?" Ken answered the obvious.

"Well, you know Joanna's background. Why not mine?" Ken paused before continuing. "Besides, I know there's a wall between you, your brother, and I. I've had some of the same fears as you, the same worries…The way life it seems just keeps throwing stuff at you."

"Life just sucks…" Ken smiled at Zack's pronouncement.

"Yes it does and the mistakes we make tend to make it worse. Especially recently."

"I've made a lot of mistakes too. Regrets too. Have you had those too? I mean a lot?"

"Yes, then and now. Mistakes that will haunt me for a very long time. Mistakes of command and authority. Mistakes that caused people to get hurt or even lose their lives." Zack looked stunned. "It comes with the career." Ken's matter of fact comeback surprised Zack, who stated to fidget, his fingers fighting with each other. His eyes not staying still.

His eyes paused in their frantic back and fro when Alexander moved in front of him, the deep green eyes mesmerizing. Alexander startled Zack when he jumped on his bench and laid his head on Zack's lap. The boy looked at Ken, who was the picture of serenity at the scene.

"It's fine." Zack became acclimated to Alexander's presence and he went to his thoughts. His eyes whipped open as he felt Alexander patting his leg. It felt comforting, his resolving started to built and leaped…

"I made a mistake that when we ran that night…." Ken's calm slowed his heart.

"Blame can spread pretty wide for the night. You never should been told to stay in the suite that night but I did not think you would like all the schmoozing we had to do." Zack shook his head quickly, the words firing from his mouth quickly.

"I was afraid of you hurting Cody and me. I had to protect him since I suggested we go to the party to see what was going on. But I just got us in so deep, I could not get out of it."

"Zack, we both overreacted. It happens sometime. Sometimes it's inexperience, sometimes it's stress getting to us. For me, it was both, you are my first foster child. It takes some time adjusting to that…"

"But you raised Tom…" Raised eyebrows met this little insight.

"I was around Tom a lot when he was younger…" Zack looked to dispute this so Ken moved on. "…even though he was not my kid. I must admit I liked it. It showed things about myself I never knew. Its one of the reasons for why I became a foster parent. So how am I doing so far?" Ken's smile threw Zack off-guard but he recovered.

"So far…" Zack left bandaged hand started to run across Alexander's head. The treecat stayed still at the human touch as Zack hesitated. "…you pass. I mean you did not really yell at us earlier." Ken snorted.

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment." A smile smirk jumped onto Zack's face but it withered and Ken felt something from Alexander as the furball's head looked at Zack.

"Especially since I was the one who led the gang into the building. What Tapeworm said earlier was true, I gave them a choice and they followed me in." Zack waited for Ken's outburst as his palm paused on Alexander's fur. But it instead he got a quip.

"Something tells me you can be very persuasive when you want to be, Zackary. Curiosity get the best of you?" Zack could only nod and Ken accepted it. "How normal. What I said still holds true though…" The edge was back in Ken's voice but it disappeared Ken looked at the clock hanging from the wall above them and gripped Zack's shoulder.

"You have made some very good friends, Zackary. Never lose them. Trust me." Ken caressed Alexander's fur. "You know, I'm glad you decided to tell me these things. You can tell me anything you want and Joanna and I will listen. Trust me I've seen more in my life than any normal person should ever see…"

"Promise?" Ken answered Zack binding question.

"I promise." Ken felt relief from Alexander at the turn on conversation as Zack seemed to accept his answer but then opened his mouth.

"Do you still keep in contact with the people who brought you up?" Ken answered Zack's fishing expedition.

"My foster parents, of course. About once a month on average depending what I am doing or what's going on. Anything else?" Zack paused, still looking at Ken.

"Did anyone take you in permanently?" Ken found the insatiable curiosity in the boy's voice welcoming but knew the question's depressing answer.

"No" Zack's head lowered as his eyes dropped and Alexander's discomfort returned over Ken's bond as his ears flattened. Ken filled in the rest. "But they were there for me. Always. Sometimes I realize how much crap I put them through…They even said goodbye to me when I went to the Naval Academy." Ken saw the darkness in Zack's eyes pull back as he looked at him as he finished.

Come on, let's go before your brother decided to tear through the door." Ken ruffled Zack's hair and the blond instantly fixed it as Alexander dropped to the floor and climbed onto Ken's shoulder.

"For a long time, I thought Cody would be the one who paced and sweated the time out, but not anymore. Not after he hit that guy with his backpack in the alleyway before you came…" The boy's voice dropped off as memory and the implications arose.

"He did?"

"He clocked him. Knocked him out." Zack sounded like he could not believe his own words. Ken opened the door and let Zack out first and found Cody rushing up to meet them.

"That would explain the busted 'pack". Zack looked up to see a prideful smile grow on Ken's face. A father's pride. Cody's thunderous footsteps distracted him but not before he heard three words from Ken.

"Good for him."

…

The silence was disturbed by the opening door as the twins and Ken walked into the suite. Their eyes immediately zeroed on the crowd of Joanna and four armsmen. Ken's hunches immediately flared.

"What's going on?" Joanna said nothing but stared at Alice Powe, Asshanti, Scott and Karl. The civilian clothed but armed guards shared her silence. Ken watched her pick up a folder and some paper off his desk and walked over.

Suddenly he felt great anxiety and worry from Alexander and it rippled into him. When he added Joanna's mask, he knew something was wrong. Then he watched as her eyes stayed on the boys as she walked over.

Something was very wrong.

But all Ken could do was wait for her to explain, but her eyes locked onto the twins.

"Your room was being cleaned today and something was found." Three pieces of papers showed themselves in Joanna's grasp. He saw colors and images on them but before he was able to see what they were, they were snatched from Joanna's hands. He recovered to see Zack holding the paper against his chest, almost cradling them while he slowly backed away from both groups of people. His bandaged hands shaking.

"They're mine!" Ken tried to get his feet under but Joanna was ahead of him.

"They were hidden, Zack. Hidden like they never wanted to be found." Ken's confusion plus the cornucopia of emotions made it impossible for Ken to completely decipher Alexander's discoveries but he stepped in.

"Is this true?"Ken quickly looked at Cody, who looked slightly shaken at his twin's outburst.

"They're nothing…" Ken glanced over at Joanna who mouthed "I'm fine". He returned his attention to the current situation and felt Alexander focusing his attention on Zack from his shoulder as well.

"If they are nothing, then why are you protecting them like they are?" Zack's eyes widened at Ken's question. His mouth moved but nothing came out.

"Zack, can I see them?" Cody soft voice touched his twin, who looked at him. Cody's need to know pushed him in one direction while his guard shoved back. His struggle paused when Ken butted in.

"You know these pictures could tell us something? Something you could not tell us in words. We are not your enemy here. You can keep them if you want, we just want to look at them." The grip loosened on the artwork but the hesitance still remained.

"Zack, remember I promised Joanna and I would listen to anything you or Cody said to us. I keep my promises. And so does she." The trapped boy looked between his foster parents and his bother. Slowly but surely the boy walked forward and lowered his arms and freed the pictures. His face was turned away from them as Ken picked them up. Ken laid a hand on Zack's arm.

"Thank you." Ken sat down. Cody waited nearby but Ken caught him.

"You have even more right to see these than I do." Cody looked at his brother with an indescribable expression. But Ken was willing to bet otherwise. Ken felt Cody presence next to him with Alexander on his other side. The armsmen moved closer toward Joanna but gave Zack space. But all this was by instinct to Ken. Ninety-nine percent of his attention was on the pictures in his hands. He looked at Cody with eyebrows raised and the boy seemed ready as his head bounced up and down. Ken turned the pictures over.

At first Ken could not see exactly what the first picture was about. Until his mind figured the lines sticking out of the blackness. Not the color of the paper but the color from the color pencils that transfigured the paper.

But a window fell together from the lines. A broken window. The shards scattered behind and in front of the empty frame. But the pieces and the window looker larger than any window should be. That was until Ken's blood chilled at what inside the broken glass.

Body parts. No blood. Just plain old body parts. A living mannequin. Except this human form had blond hair and green sticking out of the largest piece with the rest of his bland form sticking out of the other glass.

Ken looked at Cody. There was no words exchanged at these ghastly scene. It was drawn beautifully with his heart was poured into it but instead of warmth, this patch of darkness arose.

"What does it mean?" Sadness and fear tinged Cody's question as Ken looked at him. The boy kept turning to glance at his brother, who refused to look anywhere but at the carpet.

"I don't know." Ken felt helpless as the image burned into his mind. But morbid curiosity pulled him to look at the second drawing.

Ken was completely lost. It was a set of rooms. But it showed the whole thing as if someone could see the inside of each room from the outside.

"Ken, it's the suite. Your, I mean… our suite." Timidity showed in Cody's acknowledge of their living arrangements. But Ken needed no confirmation to know it was the suite they were currently in.

The chairs, tables, couches even the TVs. Zack had laid everything out the way it was, almost to perfection. The little touches with the curtained windows or the cabinets showed care.

But Ken almost smiled when he saw the twins' room. Obsession ruled the drawing here as Zack even put books in the bookcases and the sports table where it was in the room. It was almost as if Zack imprinted picture of the room onto the paper (minus the usual mess).

It took a second for Ken to realize why Zack drew the portrait.

"It seems like you care about this place a lot don't you?" Ken's question arched its way to Zack, who stared at his foster father only to shake his head yes wordlessly.

"So do I." Ken looked over at Cody's addition and gently squeezed his shoulder. Cody smiled briefly.

"Can we look at the last one?" The attention turned to the final picture as Ken placed it on top of the pile. Almost instantly the sound of sucking in air reached Ken's ears as Cody sat next to him. He could see why.

It was dark in color like the first picture but not the same context. But it made it no less creepy. First off there were no bodies, not even in pieces. There was just two heads, both shrouded in darkness. Their eyes did not stare straight ahead or anything in particular. They could not with the lack of lighting in the picture. It was easy to see the faces matched each other perfectly. They looked lost as their eyes were looking in different directions while their mouths silently spoke.

It was almost as if they trying to find something or someone but could not. But the weirdest part was the obvious crack in the "ground" in between them and the pair was walking right towards it.

Cody and ken both looked at each other for a few seconds then at Zack, who was waiting on them.

"Here…" Zack moved closer to grab his pictures. Ken held them out and as Zack reached out for them, Ken talked to him.

"We'll help you in any way we can." Zack retreated with the artwork in hand continuing to stare holes in Ken's head. Cody left Ken's side and looked at his twin. His eyes searching him until Zack noticed him. Zack flinched under his twin's sight but did not pull away as his brother wrapped his arms around his middle and pinned the pictures and Zack's hands between them. Ken watched Zack's eyes avert Cody even while they hugged.

Ken turned his eyes toward Joanna, who looked almost skittish. Until it disappeared and Ken felt something from Alexander as the treecat laid behind him on the couch. He could put a clear finger on it but felt like anticipation. Dreaded anticipation.

"We also had a detective visit today…." Joanna looked at Zack as she watched Cody grab onto Zack with his right hand as they broke apart.

Do you remember a man named Jeffery Lumond, Zack?" Alexander's tail whacked Ken's neck as he whipped around to face Zack. Joanna saw Cody's and Ken's confusion.

"He was one of Zack's foster fathers when he was separated from Cody. Lumond stepped in after Zack's former guardian died. What made it unique was that he was her boyfriend." Ken's interest was piqued as Joanna gained a colder edge. "You see, Mr. Lumond is on trial in New York City right now. Zack's name was discovered in their investigation and they wondered if he would have anything to add that might help them."

Joanna moved to sit next to Ken. She opened the folder in her lap and Ken recognized a news article along with Zack's file. Joanna handed both to ken and leaned closer to his ear and whispered.

"I'm afraid this might afraid us a lot more than any of us wanted or anticipated…" Joanna's eyes evolved into an ocean of colors and unreadable emotions but the folder and article caught his attention. He saw when Zack stayed with this Lumond guy. Over one year. Right in the middle of the time period when Cody was kidnapped…

The article headline almost ripped at his insides. He felt Alexander's support through the empathic bond and the tail wrapped gently his neck. Ken looked back at Joanna, who caressed his cheek with her hand.

Then Ken lifted himself and walked over the frozen twins, who watched his approach with Alexander clawed into his shoulder. Ken lowered himself to their level. A glance at Cody and the younger boy let go of his brother but he stayed shoulder to shoulder with him.

No matter. Ken stared at Zack for a few seconds before talking.

"You know when you first started living with me, we never got along. I chalked it up to living adjustment, which is understandable. But now I think I know the true reason behind it all." Ken steadied himself before pushing himself. "I'm sorry for not realizing it sooner. Perhaps it was nerves with you being my first or something else entirely. I accepted the situation way too easily… Life as they say is a learning experience. Perhaps all of us have learned something about trust…

"I need you to trust me Zack. Trust me that I won't throw you away or toss you aside. I care about you and your brother." Ken stopped before continuing. "As long as I know you, I will be there for you through anything. I don't care how it long it will be…" Zack's emotions flowed through Alexander to Ken. They felt like the strongest dam was blocking them off from himself. A dam that was constantly reinforced and guarded. Ken wondered how to get around the barrier as Cody stared at him.

"The only way we can get past whatever is bothering you is if you tell us what it is. I guarantee none of us in this room are going to run from it. I know I'm not. I promise." Zack looked at his brother, then ken and Joanna and finally the audience of almost forgotten armsmen watching the thing.

Ken watched Zack's eyes as the walls stood firm, only to crumble piece by piece.

"Okay, I will try." Ken turned to look at Joanna.

"Love, I know we will going to need with help with this."

"I know, help is on the way."

**By the way, I tried to cut the Maddie and Joanna a little shorter but I just scraped the surface of the effects of Prolong. Trust me, it's been debated/ discussed among the fans to an amazing level. I am not kidding either…**

**By the way, I left some of the interpretation of the drawings**** open****, so I would really like to hear your opinion about them.**


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